Serendipity
by Deadly Beauty
Summary: Some people don't believe in fate. So when it brings two people together, will they take their oppertunity, or let serendipity slip through their fingers? K18. Final Chapter Posted!
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer; I don't own DBZ or any of it characters or anything other junk like that

A/N; I debated whether or not to write a one shot after finishing Mind Games, but then I decided I would just dive into this one instead. So here it is, the first chapter of my brand new story, Serendipity! A tale of unrequited love, drama and lots of other things in between. Hopefully you won't find this to be another runoff the mill get together, because that's NOT what I'm trying to do here. Well, I hope you enjoy this one, and thanks in advance for all your support!

PS. Sorry about the TERRIBLE scene seperators, but it's the only thing that will work on this silly website!

–DB

**Serendipity**

**Chapter One**

It was grungy, and she hated it. 18 sighed heavily as she gazed out the window, which was covered in dust on the inside and mud on the out. She stared out towards the street. The front garden consisted of nothing but weeds, the pavers that lead to the street were cracked and broken, and the knee-high wire fence was broken, torn down by vandalists, god knows how long ago, the gate didn't lock, and squeaked like crazy when it was moved. In the drive there was a car, 18 was sure that the only thing holding it together was the rust. It was brown, the passenger side window didn't wind down all the way, the heater didn't work, nor did the break lights.

Across the street, the houses all looked the same. Run down and miserable. Yards that were uncared for, with yellow grass that was at least knee-high, or maybe no grass at all, just dirt. Broken windows and cars that shouldn't even be legal.

It was a slum.

Shutting her eyes, she rested her head against the cool glass. She hated it here. She despised every second she spent here more than the last and she wanted to run away and never come back. Turning away from the window, she looked around the room, which was even more dilapidated than the street, and scowled at the man on the bed. If you would even call it a bed. It was a mattress that he picked up at a yard sale, which he threw down on the floor and put a sheet over. 18 was quite sure that sleeping on rusty nails would have been more pleasant.

Shaking her head, she pulled on one of his jumpers and her slippers, then made her way down the narrow hall and into the kitchen. Ready to face yet another long day.

It was about 10 minutes later than she heard him get up, and sure enough, soon he was in the kitchen.

"Morning," she muttered as she poured hot water from a saucepan and into her coffee mug. She quickly glance at him as she reached into the fridge for milk and grimaced. His hair was dark blue, oily and untamed and he needed to shave.

"Sleep well?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Get off me, Dai" 18 shrugged him off and he took a couple of steps back across the room

"Jees, what's up your ass this morning?" he snapped, the day already off to a bad start.

"Nothing." 18 turned around and rested against the kitchen counter, "I just didn't sleep well. Sorry"

"Yeah, well, don't let it happen again. I'll be in the shower"

She waited until she heard the creaking of the water pipes before she turned around and pounded her fist into the counter. One more dent wouldn't make an inch of difference in this hellhole. Outside she could hear her neighbours screaming at each other again, followed by the sound of smashing glass, then a slamming door and finally, the sound of a car rocketing up the street. He'd be back though, he always came back once he'd had enough to drink, and for some reason, his wife always let him back, even though he hit her.

She didn't know how much longer she could take this. All she wanted was to fit in and be like everyone else in the world. And she had learned that this is what everyone else did. Found someone to share their life with. 18 didn't love Dai, she didn't love him one little but. He was a vile, egotistic, arrogant jackass. But all 18 wanted was to fit in, she didn't want to be different anymore, she wanted to be just like everyone else. And if this was what it meant to be normal, then this is what she would do.

She heard the clunk of the pipes and the shower stopped running. It made her shudder. It was time to begin the day.

* * *

Krillen stood in front of the mirror holding two shirts against him. One black, the other blue, he eventually decided on the black one and put it on. It was a beautiful day on the Kame Island and life was grand. It had almost been one whole year since Cell had met his demise at the hands of Gohan and the Earth had been at peace ever since. Outside, the sky was blue and the sun reflected of the ocean, creating a dancing pattern on Krillen's roof. 

Looking at his watch, he smiled. It was almost time to leave. He was meeting a friend on the main land for lunch. No, not just any friend. He was meeting his girlfriend. Sure, they'd only known each other a little while, they had been introduced at one of Bulma's many parties, and right away they had clicked.

"Ami" he smiled as he spoke her name. He was going to go and meet Ami.

"Master!" he cried as he ran down the stairs, skipping the last few and jumping straight to the bottom.

"What?" master Roshi called from the sofa, "you're interrupting my program"

Krillen frowned at Roshi's choice of programming, but quickly shrugged it off. "I'm going to be heading off now Master, ok?"

"Ok son, I'll see you when I see you"

"Sure Master," Krillen replied as he picked up his keys and wallet from the side table. Then he was gone.

It was only a short trip to the mainland, 30 minutes if he flew as fast as he could, which he didn't, because he didn't want to mess up his hair, so instead, the trip took him 45 minutes. That didn't matter though; he still arrived at their designated meeting point – a big water fountain, almost 10 minutes early.

He sat on the edge of the fountain and watched everything going on around him. People were throwing crumbs to pigeons and children were running around chasing each other. Everyone was smiling had having fun.

"Krillen!" he heard a happy voice calling him and looked up.

"You look beautiful," Krillen commented as he took hold of Ami's hand and kissed it. She smiled, a beautiful radiant smile and blushed a little, "You're such a sweetheart Krillen."

"So" Krillen began as they started to walk down the street, "What would you like to eat?"

"I'm not fussed" she replied

"Are you even hungry?" Krillen asked

Ami shrugged her shoulders, "a little I guess"

"Well what do you say we do a little shopping then we'll get something to eat later on?"

"Oh," Ami looked to the ground, "I don't really have a lot of money with me"

Krillen smiled, "Don't worry this ones on me." He knew that to impress a girl, you only had to take her shopping, that's how it was with Marron.

"I couldn't ask you to do that"

"You didn't ask"

"Yeah, but still…" Ami trailed off

"Fine then, how about you tell me what you would like to do?" Krillen suggested

"I don't know" she looked at him and smiled, the wind picked a little and her hair playfully blew across her face

He rolled his eyes and laughed, "Well you're no help"

Ami laughed as well, and hand in hand, they strolled down towards the mall. Surely they would find something to do in there.

* * *

18 sat on the couch, her legs pulled up to her chin and her arms wrapped around them. The picture on the TV was fuzzy and full of static. She was the only one home; Dai had gone to buy a bottle of scotch. Typical. 

A knock on the door was a welcome relief, and she quickly got up to answer it. She knew it would be Machiko, the one person she had managed to befriend in this entire street. Upon opening the door, she discovered she was right.

Machiko was her next door neighbour. She was 32 years old and had reddish-brown hair and green eyes. Her husband and Dai were drinking buddies, unfortunately for Machiko though, her husband was violent when he was drunk. 18 knew what it was like to be at the mercy of men, she knew that is sucked.

"Can I come in?" Machiko asked, and presented a basket of muffins "I brought snacks"

18 smiled, "Dai is out, come on in." Dai didn't like it when Machiko came over, he though she would put ideas into 18's head.

The two women sat in the kitchen drinking coffee and eating muffins. They were talking about all the things that women like to talk about, until Machiko brought up a rather sore spot as far as 18 was concerned.

"So, how did you and Dai meet up?"

18 looked to the floor, which needed to be cleaned, "In a bar" she said, then lifted her eyes back to her friend. "He came up to me, and for some reason, I went home with him. I must have been drunk"

Both women laughed, and 18 sipped her coffee. She knew she hadn't been drunk. She had been in a bar alright, and she had said to herself, that the next man that approached her, would be the man she would go home with, and learn to be normal with. She had just happened to get unlucky. She hadn't even managed to get herself a half decent guy, although, what could she expect from a grungy, run down pub on the wrong side of town. 18 wasn't a quitter though, she would rather live a life of misery than admit she couldn't handle this life with this man, and so she kept going one more minute, one more hour, one more day.

Then, unexpectedly, the familiar sound of Dai's rusty old car pulling into the drive could be heard.

18 sighed, "You better go. The back door is unlocked"

"Alright, I'll talk to you later" Machiko replied, then quickly stood up and disappeared through the back door. 18 took another sip of her coffee and waited for Dai to come blasting into the kitchen, sure enough, minutes later, he did.

"What have you been doing?" he demanded to know as he put his scotch on the bench

"Nothing," she didn't look at him as she replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Because I don't trust you."

This time, 18 stood up. She walked right up to Dai and looked up into his eyes. "Get over yourself" she muttered, then headed outside to get the washing.

She had to force herself not to turn around and blast the entire house to smithereens as she stood outside. No one here knew her secret. As far as everyone here knew, she was an ordinary human woman who had happened to pick up the nickname 18 in high school. No one here knew anything about her really. Apart from the basics to stop them asking questions. They knew nothing of her super human abilities, her jagged past or her involvement with Cell, and that was the way she intended to keep it. She wanted nothing more than to be able to leave that chapter of her life behind. It was a horrible time for her, and she wanted it to be nothing more than history. Besides, it was best this way. It was easiest for her this way, if she didn't think about her past, she didn't think about her brother. 17. She hadn't seen him since Cell, and she was only just beginning to come to terms with the thought that she wasn't ever going to see him ever again. He was probably happy with his life, moving on with his like she was for hers. And if that really was the case, then she was happy for him.

* * *

Krillen arrived back on the island at about 8 O'clock that night. He had been meeting Ami for lunch, and it had grown to lunch, dinner, a movie and shopping. His wallet was feeling the pain, but he was on cloud nine. He couldn't ever remember feeling so happy. He never felt like this with Maron. Ami was a great person to be around, she was sweet, fun and kind. 

"That was some lunch boy!" Roshi exclaimed as Krillen walked in the door, "What exactly did you two get up too?"

Krillen looked up at his former teacher, shook his head and smiled, "Get you mind out of the gutter, Master. I'll be upstairs if you need me"

Once he was upstairs and safely away from Master Roshi and his perverted mind, Krillen smiled. As he got ready to shower, he couldn't get his mind of Ami, and he didn't want to either. From her chestnut brown hair and dark brown eyes, to her radiant smile and joyous laugh. He would never be able to thank Bulma enough for introducing them.

As it happened, Ami was an employee of the Capsule Corporation, a chemist studying under the great Dr. Briefs. So not only was she gorgeous, but at only 26 years old, she was a genius as well. Krillen wasn't quite sure if he deserved Ami. All he saw himself as was a short ex-monk with no nose. The only thing he had going for him was the ability to shoot one hell of a Ka-Me-Ha-Me-Ha Wave, and that didn't really impress the ladies all that much.

He wondered how long it would be until he could see Ami again. He had to go to the mainland tomorrow night, he taught a Karate Class at a small dojo in the city. It was mainly only thugs who tho thought they were god's gifts to the martial arts that attended, but it gave him something to do with his spare time, and he was good at it. Maybe they could get a bite to eat or something afterwards, and if she was at the class, he would get a chance to show off and impress her. Yeah. That's what he would do. It was a plan that couldn't possibly fail!

* * *

A/N; Well there you have it, the very first chapter of Serendipity. I tried to give it a bit of a different feel that what I usually see. Normally, Krillen is the one who is all mopey and miserable, so I though, hey, why not switch it around? I'd love to know what you thought of this, and hopefully that next chapter will be up soon! 

Lots of love!

Deadly Beauty


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and you can't have it.

A/N: I would say I'm sorry for the slow update, but I'm not really, I've had a lot of schoolwork and junk to do. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter; I put lots of hard work into it. Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter, it means a lot to me that you all continue to read my work time after time after time. So thank you all, and I hope you enjoy this one.

Deadly Beauty

**Serendipity**

**Chapter Two**

Krillen wandered around the streets of Nikki Town, as the sun began to fade. Illuminating peoples faces and casting long shadows over everything. He was dressed casually, in a pair of sweats and a tee shirt. But he was carrying a sports bag by his side and in it was his orange gi, which had Master Roshi's insignia scrawled across the back of it, along with various other training devices, suitable for teaching a martial arts class. He mainly taught basic and intermediate karate, but he knew so many styles like the back of his hand that he sometimes threw in something different, not so much for the benefit of his students, but to keep himself amused.

His students weren't exactly the brightest bunch; they were mostly brawn and had very little brain. They thought that they knew everything that there was to know about fighting, and for Krillen, trying to get through to them enough to actually teach them sometimes proved to be more trouble then it was worth.

He had so many years of experience behind him, but they just didn't want to learn, as far as they were concerned, they were only there to refine their skills. Krillen had to snigger, it was funny.

He arrived at the community centre, where his class was held and walked inside. After stopping to talk with the receptionist for a few minutes, he made his way down the hall and began to set up for the class.

"18!" she heard him scream her name, but she didn't move from her spot in the bathroom. "18! Move your ass, you're going to make me late again"

She rolled her eyes, as far as she knew, she had never made him late, not once. The next thing she knew however, Dai was standing right behind her, she looked at his reflection in the mirror, one glance told her that he was mad, infuriated. He didn't scare her though, he was only human.

"Alright" she sighed and shook her head, replacing the cap back on her lipstick as she did so. "I'm ready"

She watched all the scenery roll by and the car chugged down the street. The further away she got from the crap hole she called her house, the better she felt, and by the time they were in the heart of Nikki Town, her mind was so far away from the facts of her life that she actually had something that slightly resembled a smile on her face. As the car pulled up to a stop, she blinked; they had stopped right outside a cute little clothing boutique. She didn't even bother giving it a second thought though, they had no money, and normal people didn't steal things.

She climbed out the car and followed Dai down the street. She didn't want to walk beside him. Apparently though, he had other ideas, because he stopped and turned to face her.

"Are you going to walk beside me?" he asked

"Do I have to?" 18 raised an eyebrow folding her arms across her chest

Dai snorted and forcefully snatched 18's hand up in his. She had to resist the urge to crush his bones to a fine pulp. She took big deep breaths as she allowed herself to be dragged down the street by him.

All men were jerks.

* * *

Krillen laughed as he talked with some of his pupils, it wasn't true that they were all muscle bound thugs, of the 23 men in his class, there were four who were decent guys who where actually there to learn some self defence, and as Krillen stood to the side of the room, talking to them, he was happy. These were his friends and he felt like he could laugh and smile around them.

The room began to fill as the other men arrived for the class, and Krillen took up his place in the front of the room, his pupils before him, ready to go.

He looked to the back of the room, often, people came to watch the class, whether they be a friend of one of the pupils or simply sitting in to see if they might like to join, and Krillen was more than happy to have an audience.

"Alright guys, you ready to start or do you wanna give it a couple more minutes?" he asked

They voted that it was time to start the class, and so Krillen began to take them through their all important warm ups.

"One, two, three" he chanted as he demonstrated a calf stretch and the men followed. "Ok, and release and shake it out"

He opened his mouth to speak, but the door to the studio creaked open, and being the polite man that he was, he quickly decided to wait for the latecomer to join the class before he continued. What, or rather who he saw however, was not what he expected to see, and he had to rub his eyes and blink to make sure.

Sure enough, Dai, the most obnoxious, rude man on the face of the Earth had walked into the studio, he was late every week, but this time he had brought someone with him. Someone he had never expected to see ever again until his dying day. Someone who it had taken him five long months to get over.

She was still as beautiful as he ever remembered her to be. Her shoulder length blonde hair blew across her face with the breeze of the ceiling fan, and shimmered under the bright lights of the studio. He watched her, captivated by her every movement, as she sat down and began to rummage though her bag.

"Hey, you still in there?" Krillen heard one of his student calling him, and he blinked, tearing his eyes away from 18, whose image he had only just managed to shove to the back of his mind.

"Alright!" he shook his head and resumed his stretch position, "One, two, three…"

* * *

18 looked up, she knew that voice! It was Krillen. She hadn't seen him since that day on the tower all those months ago; she hadn't even really given him a second thought since then. But here he was. Of all the people in all the world to be instructing the same class that Dai happened to take, it was him. It made sense though, 18 supposed. Krillen obviously knew what he was doing when it came to fighting. It was in his blood. She had seen him fight before, he was good. Excellent even. For a human, the skills he possessed were incredible.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed that Krillen was wasting his time teaching a crappy little inner city martial arts class. He could be out earning millions in tournaments and the likes. He would even clean up in the street fights you could always find in dark little alleys around the town.

Shifting her gaze, 18 glanced at Dai. He was standing in the corner of the room with two of his buddies, and they were all looking in her direction. No doubt he was talking about her, as far as he was concerned, she was nothing more than a piece of ass.

She looked back to Krillen, who was focusing intently on explaining some sort of a kick to his class. He had training pads strapped to his arms, and there was a certain sparkle in his eye. She could tell that he was happy. He had everything she didn't, and it only made her even more miserable.

It seemed like hours passed while she sat at the back of the room, watching Krillen walk around the class helping people, he even laughed with some of them. 18 didn't laugh; there was nothing funny in her life, except maybe how pathetic it was. Not that she would ever tell anyone else that. She was relieved when the class broke up for the night. Surprisingly though, no one left. Instead, they scatted and began to chat amongst themselves.

Quickly, Krillen made a beeline towards her and sat down.

"Hi" he said, fidgeting with his hands.

"Hello Krillen," She looked across to him, she wasn't sure what to say next though.

"How have you been?" he asked, running his hands though his hair

"Good," she lied, "I like your hair. Suits you"

His eyes lit up, a compliment from 18! "Really? You think? I wasn't to sure at first, but then I though, 'what the hey, it's only hair' You really think it's ok?"

18 couldn't help laughing; his sudden change in mood had been stupidly fast, "Yeah, makes you look younger"

"That what Master Roshi said, although, coming from him, I'm not sure if it's a compliment or an insult"

18 laughed again. Twice in one night, a record. Dai had never made her laugh; he didn't even make her smile.

"What are you doing here?" she asked

"Teaching"

"I can see that. What I meant was, why are you teaching?"

Krillen shrugged his shoulders, "Gotta do something to fill in the time. As much as I love the island, I can't spend all my time there, I think I'd go crazy"

"The island?" 18 asked. She remembered visiting with an island once, while looking for Goku. "The one with the pink house? You live there?"

"Sure do" he paused, "What about you, I didn't know you were living around here" Krillen couldn't believe how smoothly this was all going, 10 months ago he probably would have vomited with nerves by now.

"Well I-"

"Hey!" A voice boomed, interrupting 18 mid sentence "What in the hell do you think your doing?"

"Dai, don't" 18 muttered, not so much mad, as she was about to be embarrassed.

"What the hell are you doing talking to my woman Krillen?" he snarled, spit went flying everywhere

Krillen gulped, Dai was scary, this wasn't the guy you wanted to make mad, "18 and I were just talking, we're old friends" he used the term very loosely.

"Yeah, well, 18 doesn't talk to other guys ok" Dai poked Krillen in the chest.

"I think 18 is able to decide who she does and does not talk to"

"Krillen, don't" 18 butted in, and Krillen stopped. "Dai, cut it out" she snapped, looking up into his dark eyes with nothing but the most absolute contempt.

Dai growled deep in his throat, everyone in the room was looking at the trio now. He grabbed hold of 18's arm and yanked her up out of her chair, "We're leaving," he hissed.

As 18 got dragged from the room, her eyes met with Krillen's and he felt his heart sink. She looked so sad, and there was nothing he could do to help her. As 18 and Dai walked through out the door, Ami walked in and the smile returned to Krillen's face.

* * *

"What was going on back at the hall, with that couple?" Ami asked as she leaned back in her seat.

"I dunno," Krillen sighed and draped his arm across Ami's shoulders, "Dai has somewhat of a short temper, and 18, well I'm not really sure what she was doing there…" he trailed off, he hadn't been able to get his mind off 18 ever since she left the room. Mentally, he cursed himself, he thought he'd moved on from that part of his life, after tonight though, he wasn't so sure.

"18?" Ami raised an eyebrow, "You know her?"

"Yeah," Krillen nodded and tilted his head back to look up at the stars. They were sitting at a little bar, which had lovely booth seats out the front, "We met about a year ago"

"She's pretty. Don't you think?" commented Ami as she took a sip of her drink

"Gorgeous" Krillen agreed, the words came flying out of his mouth before they had a chance to rendezvous with his brain. Ami giggled as she watched the varied shocked expressions fleet across Krillen's face. She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek, "you're cute, Krillen"

He smiled, then his gaze drifted off into the distance. While his expression may have been blank, behind his eyes, his mind was going a mile a minute. He loved to hang out with Ami, he was really considering asked her if she would like to be his real 'official' girlfriend. He knew she would say yes. But then, every time he opened his mouth to ask her that question, 18's image popped right up at the very front of his mind and he couldn't do it.

That last look he had seen in her eyes, it had torn him up. His mind was thrust back to those weeks and months right after Cell, he had been so infatuated with 18, he was head over heels in love with her and it felt like his heart was soaring. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Ami didn't give him that feeling. But tonight, when he got the chance to speak with 18, that feeling, it came back stronger than ever. He thought again, of that look in her eyes, she looked so miserable, like her entire life was crumbling around her, and Krillen suspected that if she involved with Dai, that it probably was.

What if 18 really was the one for him, what if she was the only person in the whole entire galaxy who could make him feel like he was floating with no more than a glance. He couldn't throw that chance away. Could he? As much as he was sure he loved Ami, after seeing 18 again tonight, he was sure that he couldn't let her slip though his fingers. He felt like he could rip his hair out as he sat there, not having any idea what to do.

Well, whatever he decided, he wasn't going to come to a decision tonight; he had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

18 slammed the bedroom door shut and locked it just in time for Dai not to be able to open it; instead he pounded on it and swore at her as loud as he could.

"Let me in!" he bellowed, the fury in his voice echoing off the walls "Now!"

18 didn't reply. She stomped across the small room and plonked herself down on the mattress. She shouldn't have to put up with his crap, and she certainly wasn't in the mood for it.

She swore as he heard the jangling of keys on the other side of the door, he had the key, and sure enough, a few seconds later, the door was forcefully pushed open.

"What the hell do you think you were doing back there?" he towered over her in such a way that anyone else on the planet would have found horrifically intimidating, she however, didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Answer me!"

18 looked up at him, his face was flushed, and she noticed a rather large vein protruding from the side of his head

"I was talking with an old acquaintance" she stood up and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Bullshit" he hissed, 18 could smell the whiskey on his breath, "you're nothing more than a hussy. A filthy whore"

"Excuse me?" 18 blinked, the tone in her voice deadly.

"You heard me" he snapped back, and raised her hand to slap her. In an instant though, 18 grabbed hold of his wrist holding just enough pressure as not to snap the bone, but to cause an excruciating and lasting pain.

"How dare you speak to me like that" she snarled, and shoved him down onto the hard ground. She had to let go of him before she did any more damage to his pathetic body.

She walked out of the house and into the backyard. The air was cool, and smelled of pollution. In the distance she could hear the squall of police sirens. She sat down on the steps of the small back porch and rested her head in her hands. Sighing, she closed her eyes.

A smile came to her face as she thought about seeing Krillen. He seemed happy. He looked healthy. He had a kind of shimmer in his eyes that 18 had never seen in anyone around here before. Here, everyone's eyes were hollow, looking for some kind of escape, pleading to be freed from the poverty and abuse around them.

He had mentioned that he lived on the Island with the pink house, she remembered something being scrawled in sloppy red paint on the front of the house, but she couldn't remember what. She remembered, she went there looking for Goku with her brother and 16, and she liked it there. The waves lapping up against the shore soothed her troubled mind and the warm sun shone down on her skin, making it tingle with a pleasant sensation.

Standing up, 18 wiped her hands on her jeans and walked back into the house. She stood in the dimly lit kitchen and decided that she would go back to Krillen's class again next week. She didn't care what Dai said about it either. Sighing again, she decided that she better go and talk to Dai, she had to sleep in the same bed as him after all, or else she would be on the couch, and that was something she was not going to subject herself to that kind of unnecessary torture.

* * *

A/N: Poor 18, she just not having any luck. Maybe things will start to go her way in chapter 3? Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and hope you'll all be back for chapter 3 when I get it out. Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!

D.B


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ

A/N; Yay, here I am with a new chapter Of Serendipity. I bet you though I'd abandoned you all huh? As of…long as short of it is basically…life has been busy as hell. I'm so glad to finally be able to get this one out. Thanks for all being so patient with me and not sending me any abusive e-mail telling me to get my butt into gear. I hope you all enjoy this one and think it was worth the weight

D.B

---

**Serendipity**

**Chapter Three**

---

Ami quietly hummed a tune as she busied herself making tea. She loved to do things in the kitchen, she loved to entertain. When she wasn't busy at the capsule corporation that was. She was studying to be a chemist, and it was hard work, but Doctor Briefs knew what he was doing and passed it down to his pupil with courage that she would do well. Ami also dabbled a little in the world of robotics and cybernetics, which was how she first struck up her friendship with Bulma, who was undoubtedly the most scientifically intelligent woman on the face of the Earth. When it came to gadgets and gizmos, you just couldn't look past Bulma, she had made Capsule Corporation what it was. Doctor Briefs may have come up with the name, but it was Bulma who had earned it its reputation.

It was to bad that she didn't have the same kind of super intelligence when it came to men. Ami had seen Bulma's partner, the father of her child. He was an arrogant man who had a very high opinion of himself. They argued a lot, Ami often heard them when she was working in the labs, she tried to tune out what they were saying, but sometimes it was hard not to hear their voices.

Still though, Bulma would tell her often that she loved him. One of her favourite lines was, "but you don't know Vegeta like I know Vegeta" Ami sighed, she was glad she didn't know him that well. She had Krillen instead. He had such a beautiful heart and nothing but the purest of intentions. He was just a genuine guy, and guys like that were hard to come by in today's world.

Blinking, she picked up the two warm mugs of tea and headed upstairs. It was time to start the day.

Krillen rolled over in his bed and pulled the crisp white covers around him tighter. He didn't want to open his eyes, he was having a dream, a beautiful dream, but as he became more and more aware of his surroundings, the images in his mind faded away.

He groaned.

"Morning sunshine" a chirpy voice filled the room. Startled by the sudden intrusion, Krillen's eyes snapped open. His vision was fuzzy, but he was able to make out Ami's figure. She was scantily dressed in pale blue panties and a singlet top of the same colour. Placing the two mugs down on the bedside table, she climbed up onto the bed and snuggled up against Krillen.

Suddenly, everything came rushing back to him.

The day before, there had been a little get together on the island. Nothing special really, just Bulma, Vegeta, Trunks and Yumcha over for dinner. They stayed late though, until well past midnight, and Krillen had suggested that instead of Ami catching a ride home with Yumcha, she just spend the night.

"Roshi didn't see you, did he?" Krillen asked, his voice still groggy.

"No," Ami shook her head. "Why? Are you embarrassed?"

"No," he had to stop as Ami's lips found their way to his, "It's just, don't let Roshi see you dressed like that". He slipped his arms around her waste while she kissed his neck.

Several quite minutes passed by, Krillen's mind was far away, he was aware of Ami's soft warm skin pressed against his own, but it didn't interest him all that much at this moment.

That dream. Where had it come from? It had been so real; it wasn't as much a dream, more than a vision. A premonition maybe? No, it couldn't have been. His mind was just playing silly games with him. The things he had conjured up in his mind, they were silly, un-attainable, and even more so, he didn't want to attain them. It was…it was just stupid.

"Krillen? Are you ok?"

Krillen blinked, "yeah, I'm fine. Just, haven't woken up properly yet"

* * *

It was only a couple of minutes after sunrise when 18 stirred, her eyes flickered open and she was aware of everything around her. She had a throbbing pain in her back from sleeping on what was practically the floor, she felt dirty, just from being in this house, and no matter how much she showered, she felt like she would never be able to rid herself of the filth.

Beside her, Dai was snoring. He wasn't going to wake up during the morning hours; he had consumed so much alcohol the night before she doubted he would wake for the rest of the week. Hauling herself out of bed, she threw on her black robe and headed down the narrow hall towards the kitchen. Only to discover they were out of milk. So quickly changing into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt she headed for the store.

Outside, the crisp morning air felt good against her skin. Occasionally, a car would pass her, but apart from that, she was the only person out. The stars were fading from the sky and day was beginning to break. Clouds hung in the sky, suggesting it was going to be an overcast day, maybe it would even rain. That, 18 decided, would suit her mood nicely.

It had been a week since she had seen Krillen, and she had hardly been able to think about anything else. It was just the way he presented himself, he seemed so…happy, 18 sighed. She wanted to be happy. Was it so much to ask?

She had been with Dai for almost four months now, she wondered of 17 would think of her. He would probably be ashamed of her. He would certainly want to know what the hell she was doing with her life. Heck, _she_ wanted to know what she was doing with her life.

Wasting it was certainly a good place to start off.

She had no idea how long she was going to live for. What if one day her internal generator got to old and stopped working? What if the body parts she still had wore themselves out? What if Vegeta tracked her down and finished her off. She knew he had gotten a hell of a lot stronger since they last met, she could sense his Ki from practically anywhere on the globe, he had to be stronger than she was. There were so many things that could bring about her end, and she didn't want to waste her life, but right now, that's exactly what she was doing.

Maybe, she mused to herself as she walked, maybe she should just fly to the Kame Island, if nothing else, Krillen might have been able to answer some of the questions that nagged away in the back of her mind, eating away at her day after day.

Looking up at the sky, she shook her head. No, she thought. Dai would have her head when she returned home. She didn't want to get into yet another argument with him. She'd lost count how many they'd had. She was no better than anyone else in this neighbourhood at the moment, as much as she wanted to, she couldn't say that she deserved better than this, because she had lowered herself to this level to begin with. If she had of pulled the plug right at the beginning, she could have been free now. But as it was, she was in far to deep; she had created a life here, and had involved herself in the lives of the others here. She lived deep within an intricate web of lies, lies she herself had created and spun. No, she was trapped here now.

Not even Krillen would be able to help her.

* * *

"Krillen, what's the matter?" he heard Ami ask him as she sat down, digging her toes into the sand.

"Nothing" he shook his head.

"Nonsense" Ami replied, "You've been quiet all day. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing" he repeated, his gaze intently focused far out at sea

Ami was quiet for a minute, and out the corner of his eye, Krillen noticed she was biting down on her lower lip.

"Is it me?" She asked, and quickly pressed on before he could say anything, "Because if it is, I can change"

"What?" Krillen turned to her and smiled, "Don't be silly" he leaned over and softly kissed her lips.

"So I haven't upset you? Not at all?"

Krillen shook his head, "Not at all"

Ami smiled and relaxed, she hadn't noticed how much her muscles had tensed up when she had realised Krillen might be mad at her, "Then what on Earth _is_ it that's bothering you?"

Closing his eyes, Krillen exhaled deeply, he didn't want to lie to Ami, but he didn't want to hurt her by telling her the truth either, she didn't deserve to be hurt. "My friend, Goku, he died, almost a year ago now, I just miss him" it was true, it had been almost a year since that fateful day, and he certainly did miss him, that just wasn't his reason for being so distant today.

"Oh," Ami reached out and touched his arm, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"I know. It's ok" he took hold of her hand and squeezed it. Then forcing out the best fake smile he could muster, he stood up. "Come on," he announced, "I'll drop you home before my class starts, alright"

Krillen watched as Ami retreated back into the house to grab a quick shower, then collapsed back onto the sand. He had no idea what he was doing. A week ago, he had been the happiest man alive, now, his mind was in total chaos, he didn't know if he was up or down, left or right, and he was expected to teach tonight? He didn't know what he was going to do. What if she was there again? Although, after the fiasco last week, he highly doubted that. Dai would probably have something to say though. Krillen gulped. He knew he could take on Dai if it absolutely came to that, but he was still a scary man, and Krillen suspected he was the type of man who probably carried a gun.

* * *

"Dai, what are you doing?" 18 looked up from the TV with a raised eyebrow.

"It's Thursday, you know I go out on Thursdays" he muttered as he held his head and downed some aspirin

"You're hung over" she didn't look at him from her spot on the couch, "Go back to bed"

"Don't you tell me what to do" she snapped, but the sound of his own voice was too loud and he groaned. Inwardly, 18 laughed. "Fine," she said, "Give me a couple of minutes, and I'll come with you." She knew someone would have to drag his sorry ass home when he passed out.

"After last week? I don't think so"

18 felt a lump catch in her throat, but she kept her cool, "last week? What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes, "Don't fucking play stupid with me, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Last week. The Instructor"

"Krillen?" 18 blinked, "He's just an old acquaintance. That's it" she chose to leave out the small fact that she had been thinking about him non-stop all week

"Where do you know him from?"

"Does it matter?" 18 asked

He went to take a step forward but he tripped over a tear in the carpet and stumbled forward, 18 leaped up and caught him, his face landed directly in her chest and she quickly shoved him off her. "Go get in the car." She sighed, flipping her hair off her face and heading into the kitchen to grab the car keys.

She pulled the car up into a space at about 5 to six and followed Dai up the steps towards the community centre. They walked into the building and down the hall, reaching a rather large room, there were happy voices coming from inside. Before they entered, Dai turned to look at her, "Behave" he hissed. 18 raised an eyebrow at him in a dirty glare, then pushed past him and walked into the room.

She sat herself down in the same seat as before and slumped right down in her chair. What the hell was she doing here? She gazed at Krillen, who was standing on the other side of the room. He was wearing the pants of his training gi, and the blue shirt that went underneath it. His eyes seemed to glitter, and 18 could tell he was enjoying himself.

He looked up after a few minutes, and their eyes locked. 18 felt her breath catch in her throat, and without even realising it, she smiled. He smiled back, a big bright smile, and suddenly 18 didn't feel so bad about everything. He waved at her, very quickly, as not to attract Dai's attention, then turned back to his friends.

Dai kept looking at her as the lesson progressed, she ignored him, tried to pretend that if she couldn't see him, he didn't exist. She also tried not to look at Krillen, she wasn't in the mood for arguments tonight, she was worn out, her body felt like it had been put though it's paces and then some. She sighed. Dai was looking at her again, she could feel it

"Alright guys," Krillen stole a quick glance at his watch. "How about we take 5 ok" he ran his hand back through his hair to keep it out of his eyes. The group scatted all over the room. Dai and his friends headed outside to smoke. 18 watched as Krillen talked with his friends for a few minutes, he was laughing and smiling making extremely wild movements with his arms. Everyone around him was laughing as well.

18 kept staring at him. She couldn't tear her eyes away. He seemed to notice her gaze, and made his way over to her, sitting beside her, he spoke "I didn't think I'd see you again," he smiled, "After last time. I didn't get you in trouble did I?"

18 tucked her hair back behind her ear before she replied, "No. Dai can't just get a little jealous sometimes I guess"

"Jealous?" Krillen laughed, and pushed his hair back again "What on earth has he got to be jealous about?"

"I don't know" 18 shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her shabby attire, she felt worthless. Krillen picked up on it right away, "Are you alright?" he asked.

18 sat up straight in her chair and forced a smile, "Tired" she said, "but fine" she lied.

Krillen raised an eyebrow, but said nothing; he didn't want to put 18 in a situation that would be uncomfortable. He looked across at her and couldn't help but wonder what was going on behind those crystal blue eyes. What was she thinking about?

He thought about Ami, sitting at home, being faithful to Krillen, and all week, all he had been able to think about was 18 and how much he wanted to see her again. He felt terrible, but at the same time, sitting here next to 18, he felt like he was floating.

Suddenly, the next think Krillen knew, he wasn't in his seat anymore, he was pressed up against a wall, his feet dangling several inches off the ground.

"Dai!" he heard 18 bellow, she sounded furious. "Dai!"

"What did I tell you 18!" he pushed harder against Krillen's neck, who still hadn't quite caught up with what was happening. "What did I fucking tell you?"

"18 stomped over to Dai and shoved him hard, right in the chest. She hated it so much when he belittled her, he had no right, she was faster, stronger, smarter. She was 10 times the person her was, and yet he treated her like something that had gotten stuck to the bottom of his shoe, and now, she just lost it. She was blinded by rage, and when her hands had come in contact with his body, she hadn't held back and he flew clear to the other side of the room.

Krillen dropped to the ground with a rather embarrassing thud. The rest of the room stood in an absolutely stunned silence, not sure what to make of the current situation their mouths open like a bunch of fish out of water. Quickly trying to save face and redeem himself, Krillen clambered to his feet, but it was too late, all hope was lost. Off to the side of the room, a fierce verbal battle of the sexes was taking place, more profanities that Krillen had ever heard from Yumcha, Roshi and Vegeta combined were coming from 18 and Dai as they continued their brawl, until eventually 18 had had enough and stormed out the room, telling Dai where he could stick his attitude as she marched down the hall. Dai left shortly after.

"Um, ok" Krillen cleared his throat, trying to regain some kind of order to his classroom. "What do you say we call it quits for the week?" Everyone seemed to agree, and in a matter of seconds the room was cleared of everyone but Krillen, who sat down in the middle of the room, and told himself to breathe.

* * *

The first alleyway 18 came to was a good enough launching pad for her. She knew she wouldn't find him, but somehow, looking always managed to clam her. 17. She must have scoured every corner of the globe twice. She'd been to every single country she knew existed and flown over every mountaintop and ocean alike, yet her illusive brother was nowhere to be found.

As she soared through the dark night sky, about the clouds, the wind blowing through her hair, she felt at ease. She had been forced so restrict her powers for months and months now, and to just let it all out felt like such a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Before she even realised, there was no longer ground below her. She stopped and up righted herself in the sky. Far down below, she could hear the gentle noises of the ocean, letting herself fall, she stopped just above the water, and the salty sent filled her nose and she felt peaceful. For once in her life, she felt peaceful.

A thought popped into her head then, a stupid dumb thought, and she quickly disregarded it. She would not bring Krillen into this. As much as she would have preferred his company right now as opposed to Dai – who would no doubt be very mad with her, she knew she couldn't. She had responsibilities and she had to own up to them. So with a long and begrudging sigh, she turned around and blasted once again through the dark and lonely night sky.

* * *

A/N: Well what did you think? Feedback would be great and I'll try to get the next chapter up A.S.A.P for you all!  
D.B 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer; I don't own DBZ, or anything else of interest for that matter

A/N; I know…I know, my updates are taking for ever and I apologise, I really really do, but I'm sure you all know what life is like….hectic as anything and all that. I've not been doing anything terribly exciting, just school and work. I'm not going to make any promises as to when the next chapter will be up, but fingers crossed it will be quicker than this one.

I also want to say thank you to everyone who is reading this, it really mean a lot to me that you will continue to support me and give me feedback. It means a lot to me.

D.B

---

**Serendipity  
Chapter Four**

---

It was late when 18 arrived back home. She stood at the foot of the cracked driveway and sighed a heavy sigh as she looked up at the run down old house. For a moment she shut her eyes, and she was transported to a picturesque little island, with nothing but a tiny pink house on it, and crystal blue water around her as far as the eye could see, and she was happy.

A dog began to howl, and a second later; she could hear the shrill cry of a police siren. Her eyes snapped open and a frown settled on her face.

She walked up the driveway, everything inside the house was dark, but there was no chance that Dai would be asleep. No chance at all. She unlocked the front door and stepped inside, it was cold. She flicked on the light and the small living room filled with a warm golden glow, but the house was still cold.

"Dai?" she called, as she progressed through the living room.

She didn't even need to turn on the kitchen light to see him sitting at the table, a bottle of scotch wrapped tightly in his grasp. She reached for the light switch, but he stopped her.

"Don't turn on the light"

She turned it on anyway, and he squinted against it. He didn't deserve her pity, not now, not ever. She filled a saucepan with water and put it over the stove. Looking at him, 18 shook her head; he looked pathetic, sitting there, hunched over the table with his bottle of Johnny Walker.

"We need to talk" she said, dipping her finger in the water. Still cold.

"I know" was the reply.

18 blinked. Dai was not the talking type. He preferred to discuss things with his fists. He had obviously consumed so much alcohol that he had surpassed his normal violent state of drunkenness and fallen into some kind of a self-wallowing trance. "What?" she asked

"You're right" he mumbled, his head buried deep in his hands, "we need to talk"

"About?" 18 asked, wanting to know what he thought

"About you, 18"

"What?" 18 gasped, he had to be kidding, "Me?"

"Yeah," Dai stood up on wobbly legs and looked her directly in the eye "I don't trust you with Krillen, 18. You know how I feel about you talking with other men"

"Yeah," 18 scoffed, she could feel herself getting mad, "And you have no right to tell me who I can and cannot talk to. You don't own me Dai" she looked up at him, and there was a fire in her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that" he muttered. After that, everything around him began to spin and he wasn't sure which way he was facing. It passed though, and when his vision returned, 18 was glaring at him, one eyebrow raised and her arms crossed over her chest.

"You're pathetic" she shook her head at him in disgust and walked away. A few seconds later, he heard a door slam shut, and it sent waves of pain rippling right thorough his whole body.

* * *

Krillen lay on his bed and sighed, all he wanted was to know if 18 was ok. Even if he had of followed her the night before, he never would have been able to keep up with her, and she looked mad, he didn't want to get his head blown off.

Rolling onto his stomach, Krillen pulled open the draw on his bedside table. He moved a few things out the way, and then pulled out a little black box. Popping off the lid, he looked down at the shiny gold ring inside and smiled. He had brought it for 18. One day, not that long after Cell, he had been walking in Nikki Town, and he saw it. It was like it was calling him, and he had to buy it. In the hopes that one day, 18 might accept it from him as a token of his friendship.

It was only a simple gold band, and it had a sapphire in it, which shone a million different colours when he held it up to the light. He thought the colour of the stone was the same as 18's eyes. That was why he brought it for her. If he'd ever get to give it to her or not was a different story entirely. She was with Dai. Why, he had no idea, but she was, and he has Ami, his life was perfect just the way it was.

There was a knock on the door. Krillen put the ring back in its box and tucked then tucked it safely away at the back of the draw. "Yeah" he called.

The door opened a little and Ami's head popped in, "you decent?" she asked

"Yeah" he turned and looked out the window, the sky was grey.

"Why are you up here all by yourself?" Ami asked, as she plonked herself down beside Krillen

"It's cold downstairs"

"No it's not"

"Well then I just wanna be up here" he snapped back, and instantly regretted it. He rolled over and sat up; "sorry" he offered her a sheepish grin as some kind of pathetic apology.

"Are you alright?' Ami asked, resting her hand on Krillen's arm.

"Yeah," he sighed, then quickly changed his mind, "I've got a lot on my mind, that's all"

"I'm sorry" she rubbed his arm, trying to comfort him.

"Don't be, it's not your fault. Listen," he leaned over and kissed her, "what do you say we go out for dinner tonight, somewhere really special, just the two of us"

"Yeah, Ami smiled and kissed him back, "that would be nice"

"Great" Krillen smiled and stood up, "I'm gonna grab a quick shower then, ok"

* * *

As the afternoon dragged on, 18 became more and more discontent. She couldn't sit still, she felt like she was going stir crazy and she had to resist every urge in her body that was telling her just to leap into the air and fly away somewhere better.

Dai was sleeping in the bedroom, he had been all day. Sighing again, 18 pushed herself up off the couch and walked into the kitchen.

She was formulating a plan. She could leave, Dai would never know, she doubted if he was even alive any more, he hadn't stirred once in over 12 hours. Maybe she would walk into the city; it wasn't that far, half hours walk tops. The city always helped to clear her head. She liked being a nobody amongst everybody; she loved the anonymity of it all.

Once she had made up her mind, it only took her a minute to gather her things and find a jacket, then she was off. As she walked down the street, only one thought occupied her mind. She knew it shouldn't, but she'd given up trying to rid herself of him.

She couldn't help but wonder what her life would be like right now if she was on that little island in the middle of no where. Would she be happy? Would Krillen be happy? No, she shook her head. She had to stop thinking about him, Krillen had his life, and she had hers, that was all there was too it, and she had to learn to deal with it.

Eventually, the houses began to give way to shops, more and more people began to walk past her and before she knew in, she was right in the heart of the city, amongst the hustle and bustle of it all, and for once she felt normal. She felt like for once, she could be who she was, and no one would question her, or chastise her. They would just leave her alone and treat her as just another face in the crowd, it was what she craved.

* * *

"Krillen, this place is beautiful" Ami gushed as she looked up at the restaurant.

"Only the best for you" Krillen replied as he quickly ran his fingers through his hair.

"Krillen," Ami turned to look at him, and Krillen smiled, she looked stunning. "Thank you"

Krillen blushed, and a pang of guilt washed over him, all he'd been thinking about for weeks now was 18, he felt like was being so unfaithful to Ami, who had never been anything but supportive and wonderful to him. He felt like a monster.

"Shall we go?" Ami's soft voice brought him out of his trance and back to reality.

"Yeah," he blinked, "Lets go"

Inside, they we're placed right by the window. Krillen watched all the people walking by. Men, women, children, couples. They all had smiles on their faces, they all had places to go, people to see and stories to tell.

"You ok, Krillen?" Ami asked, resting her hand on top of his.

"Yeah," he replied quietly as he looked in her eyes, "great. You ready to order?"

As the night progressed, Ami watched him. She wasn't dumb, not by a long shot, she knew something was up, he wasn't himself, or was he, was he finally letting the real Krillen show through? She'd been used and abused by men before; she knew when she wasn't wanted. But she thought Krillen was different from all those other men. He seemed so sincere. Maybe she was over reacting, she hoped she was. Krillen was different, he had to be.

She knew when it started as well. She could pinpoint the exact time he went funny, and it only added to her theory that there was more to Krillen than met the eye. It was the night she met him after his class. He had been talking to that blonde girl, 18, she'd seen him. He said they we're only old friends, not even that. Acquaintances. And yet, ever since that night, he just wasn't the same. He had said she was gorgeous, she remembered that. It had shocked her a little, but she brushed it off as nothing she should worry about.

He was looking out the window again; it looked like he wanted to escape, she felt her heart sink.

"Krillen," she spoke softy, he turned to look at her, "you don't have to stay, if you don't want to"

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Look, if you not happy, you don't have to stay"

Inside, Krillen was panicking, but he tried his best to stay cool on the outside. He didn't want to upset Ami, but all the thoughts running through his head were just getting to be too much to handle, he thought he might explode at any minute. He honestly didn't know what to do anymore. The more time he spent with Ami, doing what he thought was the honourable thing, the more he wanted to be with 18, and the more confused he got.

"Krillen," she spoke more directly this time, "Go. Do what ever it is you need to do"

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I feel terrible leaving you when I promised you a night out"

"Don't worry about it. I'll call some of the girls and we'll hit the clubs. You're making me miserable too with this mood of yours"

The bluntness of the statement made Krillen snort, but his serious mood quickly returned. "Thank you, for understanding. I'll call you, ok"

"Ok" she nodded as he stood up, placed money for the cheque down on the table and quickly walked away.

* * *

Krillen wasn't sure how long they had been in the restaurant, maybe half an hour or so, but it had been enough time for it to get cold and dark. Pulling his jacket around him, he walked down the street; he wasn't really sure where he was going. He was on a street full of pubs, restaurants, cafes. The nightlife of Nikki Town was something to envy, there was live music floating out from everywhere, people we're laughing and having a good time.

And right now, Krillen couldn't get far enough away from the happy people.

He walked for some time, and eventually he found a quiet little coffee house. There was a neon light in the window, which flashed the word 'open' and so he took up the offer and walked inside. It wasn't much, there were a few sets of tables and chairs scattered around the place, about half a dozen people were seated around and a male clerk stood behind the counter reading a magazine.

Krillen quickly scanned the room, looking for an empty seat away from everyone, and it was then he saw something that made him do a double take. He had to stop, rub his eyes and look again to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He wasn't.

18 was sitting at a table against the wall, reading a magazine and sipping her coffee. He didn't even need to give his next thought one moment of consideration; he went over to her table and made his presence known.

"18" he greeted her, "hi"

18 looked up and Krillen felt his breath catch in his throat, something that never happened when he was with Ami. She smiled, and to Krillen, it was like the whole room lit up. "Hi. Do you want to sit down?" she motioned to the spare seat.

"Sure" Krillen gladly took up the offer, a waiter came over and he ordered a coffee.

He looked around, something was missing here "where's Dai?" he asked.

18 snorted "at home, sleeping off a hangover"

"Oh, sorry"

"Yeah, sorry he didn't die of alcohol poisoning" 18 rolled her eyes.

Krillen couldn't help laughing, even though he knew it wasn't appropriate.

They were quite for several minutes, it wasn't awkward though, like Krillen had imagined that it might be, they were content to just sit peacefully in one and others company, it was 18 who spoke first though, several minutes later.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing" Krillen replied, raising an eyebrow, as if he was expecting an answer.

18 sighed, long and deep, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes as she spoke "I don't know what I'm doing here. It seemed empty, I guess"

"Needed to think?" Krillen asked

18 nodded.

"Me too" he replied

18 looked up now, "what's on your mind?"

Now it was Krillen's turn to sigh, "its complicated" he admitted.

"Ahhh, I see," she paused for a second and sipped her drink "you look like you haven't slept"

Krillen laughed dully "I haven't, well, not properly. Not for weeks..." he trailed off, he felt bad talking about himself all the time, "it's weird how we keep running into each other like this, don't you think?" he asked

"Yeah," 18 nodded, and Krillen couldn't help but be mesmerised by her soft, sweet voice. He wondered if she ever let anyone else see her like this. He hoped not, he liked the idea of being her refuge.

"It's getting late" she looked up at the clock on the wall, "Dai will be mad if he finds out I'm gone" her eyes fell, and with them, so did Krillen's heart, he didn't want this to end, but she was right, it was getting late, even if he flew as fast as he could, he wouldn't get home until after 10.30 now.

"Maybe we'll meet up again?" he stated, though it was really more of a question.

"Maybe," she replied slyly, indicating that the odds of that were pretty high. She stood up, and threw Krillen one last, fleeting glance, "Bye"

"See you" he replied, and prayed to God that he soon would.

* * *

A/N; Well there we go, chapter 4 done and complete. Feedback would be greatly appreciated, I love to know what you guys all think of this stuff. I'll have the next chapter up ASAP. Stay safe and God bless.

Deadly Beauty


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ

A/N: Time for my usual crappy apology, 'sorry this took so long' I really am, but there is not much I can do about it, and it's here now so you can all rejoice and be merry once more. lol. I scratched my eyeball and now my eye is all puffy and it hurts when I blink…why must I always be in the wars, oh well, I don't think it's going to kill me.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all my lovely reviewers, you all mean so much to me and encourage me to keep doing what I do, so thank you!

-D.B

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**Serendipity  
Chapter Five**

---

_"Ami? Hi, it's Krillen. I guess your not home at the moment. So um, I guess you must hate me huh? I can't say that I blame you. It's been over a week, and I haven't been able to work up the guts to call you. Some man I am, hey? Well, I guess all that I wanted to say is that I am more sorry than you could ever imagine about what happened last time we saw each other. I feel… terrible, to say the last. You didn't deserve it. Anyway, I don't want to tie up to much of your time, I just wanted to let you know that I think I've finally managed to sort myself out, and if you still want to give me another chance… although I probably don't deserve it… well, you know where I am…"_

Krillen hung up the phone and sighed, it had been nine days since he last seen either Ami or 18, and he had finally come to a realisation. He loved 18, he knew that, and he couldn't deny it. But he also knew that his chances with her were slim to none, they were just too different. From different worlds, different sides. Even if they did manage to work something out, it wouldn't last. Krillen sighed, after nine days of drumming that same message through his head; he had finally started to convince himself that maybe even one tenth of it was true.

Ami, on the other hand, was kind and caring and gentle and everything that he was – or at least, what he liked to think he was. He could see himself making something work with her. He sighed, he hated to think of it like this, but – she was more in his league, he could see a relationship with Ami being more of a success than a relationship with 18, and in the end, that was what had swayed him to make his decision

Walking out into the lounge, Krillen sunk down onto the sofa and pulled a cushion over his head. He wondered if he would be stuck in this mess if Goku was still alive. Somehow, he highly doubted it. Goku always had something smart to say that saved Krillen's back side. He missed his friend so much; it was hard to believe that almost a whole year had gone past since he got taken away. He still thought about it all the time. That fateful day on the lookout, when Goku had decided that he didn't want to be wished back. He wondered if his decision would have been different if he knew that Chi-chi was expecting. This whole ordeal had been hard for her. She had gone through everything, and she had been alone. Sure, she had had him, and Yumcha, and Bulma and even Piccolo, but it wasn't that same as having the one you loved by your side. Krillen sighed, he knew that feeling all to well, and he hated it.

Suddenly, a shrill cry broke into his thought, he quickly realised it was the phone, and dived for it.

"Hello, Krillen speaking"

"Krillen" the voice, which he instantly recognised as Ami's, repeated his name

"Ami," Krillen seemed startled, "hi"

She picked up on the tone in his voice, "are you busy Krillen? I can call back if this is a bad time"

"No" he quickly replied, "No, this is a great time" he was glad Ami couldn't see the look on his face.

There was silence for a minute, neither knew what to say. "So," Ami eventually spoke "You've got yourself sorted?"

"Yeah," Krillen nodded, even though she couldn't see him, "Yeah, I think so"

"You think so?" she sounded wary of him

"Ok," he tried again, "I know so"

This time, Ami's voice picked up, and it sounded more like the happy carefree girl he knew, and it made him smile. He liked to make people happy. "What have you been doing with yourself?" he asked

"Thinking." It was not the response he had been looking for.

"About what?"

"Well, when you got to thinking yourself, it started me off. I wondered if this was what I really wanted"

"And?" Krillen heart was beating faster, and he wasn't sure if it was from excitement or fear.

"It is" he could tell she was smiling. "I want to make this work, Krillen. I've fallen in love with you"

Krillen opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, everything went dry and his brain seemed to turn off.

---

Rain pelted down on the tin roof in torrents, and wind hissed violently at the window. 18 sat alone in the little house, on the couch wrapped up in a blanket, her only friend the TV. Dai had gone drinking, which was nothing unusual. He always complained that they were living on the border line of poverty, and yet every week he spent almost his entire welfare check on getting himself intoxicated. 18 didn't understand it.

Outside, lighting flashed, and for a brief second, the whole room was illuminated, shortly after it, thunder boomed right over her head. She didn't even bat an eyelash. Storms didn't bother her. She had spent 3 months living on the streets; a little storm couldn't bother her. She just turned the TV up even louder.

Her eyes grew heavy, it was almost 2am, she didn't expect Dai home anytime soon, he was probably sitting wide eyed in some titty bar somewhere. She didn't care, as long as he wasn't anywhere near her, she was happy. Well happier anyway.

All of a sudden, 18 heard a hissing sound and then the house went dark. The power was out. She could hear the rain coming down even harder now. "Fuck" she mumbled as she pushed herself up off the couch. The fact that the house was dark didn't bother her; she had excellent night vision, and could easily navigate her way around the small house. What bothered her was the fact that the only way to turn the power back on was to go outside and around to the side of the house to where the metre box was. And even then, there was no guarantee that resetting the power would work, if a power line had fallen down, she was just going to have to wait until the electricity company did something about it.

They didn't own an umbrella, so 18 had no choice but to venture outside in the storm of the century, she couldn't flare her energy, people might see and she couldn't risk it. She finally reached the metre box, now up to her knees in disgusting mud and flicked the switch a couple of times.

Nothing happened.

She kicked the side of the house in her frustration, mud flicked up of her boot and splashed onto her cheek. Her whole body shook with frustration. Once she was back inside, she set about lighting candles, she found a torch, which much to her joy, had working batteries. She could feel the temperature dropping now that the heater was off, she considered lighting the dustbin on fire, but quickly decided against it. Instead, she produced a small ball of white hot energy in her hands and she instantly felt warmer.

She was so sick of living like this. They had nothing, no money, no food and pretty much all of their furniture was stuff Dai had scavenged off the side of the road. 18 took some deep breaths, trying to blow her frustration away. It did nothing though, and she had to extinguish the ball in her hands to stop herself from hurling in into the wall.

For the 10 millionth time she wondered why she was here. This wasn't where she belonged and she knew it. At this point, everything about her life felt wrong, she felt like the whole world was coming down on top of her and there was nothing at all she could do about it. She did have to admit though, her life was considerably better than what it had been a year ago, she wasn't being controlled and manipulated by a madman anymore, at least she had a roof over her head. But still, she had dreams too, she wanted a happily ever after just like everyone else, and this wasn't what she had in mind.

---

Krillen stood out on the small balcony of the Kame House, a warm mug of coffee in his hands, gazing out at the seeming endless body of water that surrounded him. He closed his eyes and listened. There was no sound more soothing than that of the surf breaking calmly against the shore. He loved the island; he couldn't imagine ever living anywhere else. It truly was paradise.

Upon opening his eyes, Krillen spotted something out in the distance. As it got closer, it became obvious that it was a hover car, to be more precise, it was Ami's hover car. Quickly jumping to action, Krillen gulped down the rest of his coffee and disappeared back into his room to get dressed. Then he ran down the stairs and quickly picked up as much of the junk as he could scoop into his hands and dumped it all in the kitchen. He was just in time; there was a knock at the door.

Taking a few deep breaths, he ran his hands through his hair and opened the door. Ami was standing there, "Hi," she smiled, "Hope I'm not intruding"

"Not at all" Krillen replied as he ushered her into the house. "Can I get you something to drink?" he wondered if that was the right thing to say.

"Sure" she replied as she sat herself down on the couch.

Krillen quickly retreated into the kitchen and took a few more long deep breaths. He hadn't been expecting Ami; he wasn't sure how he was supposed to act around her now. He didn't know how she was feeling, had his little outburst the other week pushed them back to being 'just friends'? He had no clue. Sighing, he shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. He didn't understand woman at the best of times, and this was certainly not his idea of the perfect situation.

Besides Ami, the only other experience he had had with women – besides Chi-chi and Bulma of course was with Marron, and Ami was completely different to her. The way to Marron's heart was through his credit card, she was so superficial – he had known it would never work, ever since the very first day they met. He had offered to help carry all of her shopping bags to her taxi. Ami was the total opposite though, she was sweet and sensitive, and Krillen had no idea how to deal with sweet and sensitive.

Blinking himself back to reality, Krillen headed back out into the lounge, where Ami was waiting for him.

There was a rather awkward silence between the two for several minutes, as they sat, sipping their coffees. Eventually, Krillen worked up his courage enough to open his mouth without sounding like a complete fool.

"I'm sorry," he said, and Ami lifted her dark brown eyes to look into his, "I've been a jerk this past week."

"It's alright" Ami replied softly, she knew why he had left that night at the restaurant. She knew he had gone to see the blonde woman, but there was nothing she could do about it. He was his own person and she didn't control him. She could only hope that he had worked it all out of his system now.

"No," Krillen continued, "It's not ok, I shouldn't have let my own problems interfere with us," he reached out and gingerly took her hand, not sure if she was going to pull away or not. She didn't, and he smiled. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else I can really say other than I'm sorry"

Ami blinked, tears welling up in her eyes. She had never been very good with controlling her emotions, and she really didn't want to cry, but as hard as she tried to stop them, the tears found a way. One at first, then another and then another. She looked at Krillen through misty eyes; he was smiling warmly at her.

She began to laugh, and felt her cheeks getting red. "Sorry" she mumbled as she wiped the tears away with her fist, "You must think I'm an idiot"

Krillen raised an eyebrow at her, then reached out and gently wiped her cheek with his thumb, "not at all," he hoped she couldn't feel how much he was shaking

"I'm just going to go and freshen up. Can I use your bathroom?" She asked, standing up.

"Yeah," he replied, "Of course"

Leaning back against the bulk of the couch, Krillen closed his eyes and blew out his breath. He had no idea how that was going to go, luckily it went well, but it just have easily could have ended in disaster. He looked toward the sky, maybe Goku hadn't left him, maybe he was merely helping him from up above, acting as Krillen's voice of reason, rather than standing beside him cracking jokes. He missed Goku.

Suddenly, Krillen's thoughts were interrupted, by someone knocking on the door. It was odd, Krillen thought, as he got up off the couch, it was rare for them to get one visit on the island a week, let a lone two in one day. He walked over to the door and pulled it open.

"Hi" the face on the other side greeted him, with somewhat of a nervous smile.

Krillen's eyes grew wide, never in a million years had he envisioned the scenario that was now playing out in front of him. "1-18?' he stuttered, not quite believing his eyes. He blinked, and sure enough, she was still there, "What are you doing here?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I didn't know where else to go"

Krillen blinked again, it sounded like she was in trouble, "Come in" he stepped out of the way of the door.

18 stepped inside and took in her surrounding. She had been here once before, when she was looking for Goku with her brother and 16, but then, she hadn't been very interested in what was inside, just, who was inside. She smiled, everything here was very cosy, and she could tell this was a place where people were happy. Photo's adorned the walls and mantle, souvenirs from the ocean and battles past were scattered everywhere. It felt like it was truly a home.

"Are you alright?' Krillen asked as he quickly glanced over her from head to toe. She appeared fine, but he knew better than that, no one would be able to physically hurt her, but on the inside she was venerable and open to attack. He understood her.

"Yeah," she looked at him, their eyes connected and she couldn't help but smile, "I just needed a break"

"From Dai?" Krillen asked

"From everything" she replied, "Sometimes it just gets a little bit overwhelming"

"I bet," he trailed off for a minute, "please, sit down"

His mind was going at a mile a minute. What was going on here? He had just spent over a week convincing himself that 18 was out of his life, and now, here she was, sitting in his living room, talking to him, in such a way, that Krillen doubted she had ever spoken to anyone else. His heart was beating fast, and it wasn't until he heard Ami's voice that he realised it might be from an emotion other than euphoria.

He heard her, speaking to him as she walked down the hall from the bathroom. He spun around, to face the door he knew she would soon be walking through and his face paled drastically. Behind him, 18 was silent, as soon as she had heard the voice of a woman, she had known this was a bad idea. What had she been thinking, Krillen was a great guy, of course he had a girlfriend. What had she been thinking, she mentally chided herself.

At the moment, Ami rounded the corner, and stopped mid sentence. Her eyes travelled from the blonde woman sitting on the couch, the one she knew was named 18, and then to Krillen. "Who's this?" she asked.

Krillen swallowed, "this is 18, she a friend of mine," Krillen then turned to 18, trying to make the best of this situation "18, this is Ami"

18 nodded at Ami, she had no intentions of saying anything and getting Krillen in even more trouble.

"What's she doing here?" Ami's eyes locked onto Krillen's, there was no malice however, just a desire to understand, "She's a friend, just stopping by"

Ami didn't buy it at all, not for even one second. Anyone could see that he had feelings for the blonde woman, it was beyond obvious, even now, just standing here looking at him looking at her, he never looked at her like that. "Can I speak to you for a moment?" she asked.

Alarm bells went off in Krillen's head, those words never ever meant something good was about to happen. "Sure" he turned to look at 18, "Just, make yourself at home, I wont be long" and with that he followed Ami upstairs and into his bedroom.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked as she sat down on the bed

"Tell you what?" Krillen asked

"That you like 18"

"Because…" he trailed off, trying his best to understand everything that had just happened, "I don't know if I do, well, not like that anyway"

"I think you do"

He sighed, suddenly, he felt tired "It's complicated, we hardly know each other, yet we've been through more together than most people will probably go though in their whole life. 18's had it real tough; I think she just needs a friend, that's all"

"A friend?"

"Yeah"

"Well when you work it out, let me know, I can't handle much more of this though so please, before you go telling me you've made a life altering decision, please make sure you've actually made it"

Krillen had nothing to say as he watched her go.

He sat alone for a few minutes, sorting out this thoughts, he had to work up the courage to face the goddess in his living room again. He could hardly recall anything that had gone on downstairs now. It was just a blur in his mind, hopefully this time things would go a bit smoother. Bracing himself, he stood up and headed back down the stairs.

"She left" 18 looked up at Krillen as he walked into the living room.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry you had to see that" he sighed as he sat down next to her.

"It was my fault, I shouldn't have come here"

"What?" Krillen sounded startled, "No, you are more than welcome here anytime. Have you ever heard the saying what's mine is yours?"

18 shook her head, "No, but I think I get the gist of it"

"Well it applies perfectly here"

18 looked deep into Krillen's eyes; she saw so many emotions there, kindness, warmth, regret, things she had never seen in Dai before. She suddenly wasn't sure what to say.

"Why did you come here," Krillen asked, "really"

"Because I hate it there" 18 replied, knowing Krillen would instantly make the connection, "and the other night, in the coffee shop, you were so nice to me, I wanted to thank you"

"You don't need to thank me"

"Yeah, I do. I can't ever remember someone being as nice to me as you are. I honestly can't"

"What about Dai?" Krillen knew he was a horrible man to everyone else, but he thought that he would at least treat 18 with a little tenderness.

"Dai?" 18 scoffed, "he cares about nothing except himself…" she trailed off, Krillen sensed that she wanted to say something else, but he didn't push her.

He didn't want make her uncomfortable with personal questions, but it was the only way he would ever be able to understand why 20 minutes ago, she had shown up on his doorstep with a look in her eyes that was more miserable than he had ever seen on anyone. "If he makes you so unhappy, why do you stay with him?" He wasn't really expecting an answer, and so when he got one, he was more than a little shocked.

"Because," 18 sighed, "It's all I know how to do"

Krillen furrowed his brown in thought, "I don't understand you" he finally said.

"You forget Krillen, I was completely reset. Everything I ever knew was taken away. I've had no choice but to try and relearn everything, and all the while there is this programming screaming at me to stop, every time I do anything not related to the original mission objective, my programming tries to force me to do the exact opposite. I don't know how to do anything else except be with Dai because I've never learnt," she paused "every single day I have to force myself to go against the programming, it's getting easier I guess, but some days I really do want to kill him"

Krillen chuckled, even though he was quite sure it was inappropriate. "Well you're more than welcome to stay here. Our doors are always open"

"I wouldn't want to trouble you"

This time Krillen did laugh, "Trust me, the Kame House has been a home to every single one of us at one stage or another. We're more than happy to take people in" he smiled brightly at her, and she believed him 100 per cent.

"I can't. Dai will-" Krillen interrupted "Dai will never find you here. He can't track Ki and we're in the middle of a giant ocean."

18 was silent, she was really thinking over her options.

"At least spend the day. We can spar; I bet you haven't done that in a while"

This time, she smiled, "How can I say no to that?"

---

A/N; Yet another chapter all done. How did you like it? At least a little bit enjoyable I hope. As always, you can find out about my crazy life in my live journal (stupid links don't work here) but you can get it from my profile page, and that will explain when and where my updates are coming – if you do decided to read it, feel more than free to comment if you want. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as my busy timetable allows for it! Thanks for reading

-D.B


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer; I don't own anything you read here.

A/N; Finally, a new chapter. I'm sorry this took so long, but I'm really happy with the way this one came out. A little bit of a warning though, there is a fair amount of swearing in this one, so if you get offended easily, don't say I didn't warn you. Also, I want to say a huge massive thank-you to all my wonderful reviewers. You always give me such wonderful and positive feed back, I love you all, thanks for sticking with me through my painfully slow updates.

-D.B

**Serendipity  
Chapter Six**

Slowly, 18's eyes fluttered open; the very first thing she noticed was how comfortable she felt. She then realised that she never felt comfortable when she woke up. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright and swore. This was not her house, this was not her bed. This was Krillen's house.

Quickly, her eyes darted around the room. It was small and filled with early morning light. Outside, she could hear the waves gently breaking against the sand. Throwing the covers off of her, she jumped up out the bed and began to pace the room.i

"Shit" she mumbled to herself, she had quite a predicament on her hands. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. Yesterday, while she had been with Krillen, she had not been able to stop smiling; she hadn't smiled in moths before that. He made her feel like she was actually worth something. She wasn't exactly sure how she had gotten here though; she must have fallen asleep after they sparred. She remember sitting on the couch with Krillen, but then nothing. He must have brought her up here. It was sweet.

But it didn't solve her problem. She would have loved to stay here, but she couldn't. Glancing around the room again, 18 decided what she had to do. She looked across at the clock; it was only 6.30 in the morning. Out in the hall it didn't sound like anyone was up, she couldn't head anything from her room. So as quietly as she could she headed out the room and down the stairs into the kitchen, where she quickly scribbled down a short note

_Krillen,_

_Thank you for everything you have done for me, I'm literally alive today because of you. But I can't do this; I just want to be normal. I'm sorry if you don't understand. I hope you find your happiness Krillen, you deserve it._

_#18_

And then she was gone. She hated herself for what she had just done. But she wanted to be normal just like everyone else, and as far as she knew, normal people did not get close to one person while they were involved with someone else. As she rocketed across the ocean, she felt more and more despair. Her life was such a mess. She knew that if she had 17 with her, she wouldn't have gotten herself into this. He was her sense of reason. He always gave her his honest opinion, and even if sometimes he was an immature brat, and she missed him. He was the only person on the entire planet who was like her, the only one who could truly understand her and what she had been though. She had given up looking for him though, she had scoured every corner of the globe in her search, and he wasn't anymore. She had lost hope of ever finding him, she knew when to face up to reality and accept it, and she had. It still hurt though. It was a pain she doubted would ever go away.

She wasn't sure how long she flew for, but it felt good, she had been restricted to the ground for so long, and when she flew, for some reason she felt better, her mind felt clearer. She couldn't explain it. Soon – for 18, it was too soon, the empty land began to give way to suburbia. At first she flew over farms and dirt roads, and underneath her, she watched them transform into the hustle and bustle of everyday living. She flew in for a graceful landing in a park that was a few block from her house, it was always empty, well expect for on Saturday night, when all the drug deals went down. She walked down the street, very slowly, she had no desire to hurry home, she knew full well what would be waiting for her there, and she was not looking forward to it. Maybe though, she thought – maybe Dai had been so drunk when he got home that he hadn't noticed she was gone. She quickly disregarded that idea though, of course he would have noticed. He was like a hawk when it came to her behaviour and actions. As she rounded the final corners into her street and up her driveway, a cold shiver ran down her spine. She was not looking forward to this. She felt her muscles tighten and she clenched her fists. She wasn't exactly sure what she was feeling, but she knew she didn't like it. Perhaps it was apprehension. After the wonderful day she had had with Krillen yesterday, she should have been feeling refreshed, but instead she was feeling sick. She didn't want to have to deal with Dai, she wanted him out of her life once and for all. She knew what she wanted, deep down, she wanted to be with Krillen, he was her happily ever after, she knew it.

As soon as 18 set one foot into the house she knew something was wrong. Quickly, she threw herself to the right, and watched as a glass bowl connected with the door.

"What the hell was that for?" she yelled off into the dark hallway, where she knew Dai was standing, just out of her view. When she got no reply, she stormed down the hall in search of him. He was waiting in their bedroom.

"Go and pick that up!" 18 ordered him "You're acting like a child!" she was irate now. She could feel her body shaking with rage.

"Don't you fucking tell me what to do!" Dai snapped back, spitting everywhere in the process, "I'm the man around here and I make the rules!"

18 stood for a minute, stunned into silence by Dai's comment, when she spoke again, her voice was quite, but it shook with rage "How dare you, I've had enough of this," right now, she wished she had stayed at Krillen's so much that it hurt, "I've had enough, so I'm giving you an ultimatum"

"A what? Don't use you fucking smart arse language around me!"

"A choice Dai!" she shouted, "I'm giving you a fucking choice! Either you cut this shit out and show me some respect, or I walk. It's as simple as that"

"You're telling me what to do?" Dai's mouth hung open in shock; no one had ever taken control over him before.

"You're damn right I am. And if yo-"

"No" Dai interrupted her, "I'm not going to put up with this shit from you. You're only a woman, you're weak, and no woman tells me what to do!"

"Weak?" 18 gritted her teeth. If only he knew how deadly she could be.

Dai was going to open his mouth, he had more to say, but suddenly, something dawned on him and he became even more infuriated with 18. "You're been with the runt, haven't you?" he bellowed, his face was going red now, and a vein was protruding from his temple. "HAVEN'T YOU!"

When 18 didn't reply, she merely scowled at him in the manner she had become such an expert at; he took it as a yes. "I'll kill him," he muttered to himself, "I'll kill him!"

---------------

She was right, he didn't understand. Krillen sat down on the couch and read over the letter for the ten thousandth time that day. He didn't understand it at all. He had thought they had had fun yesterday, he had at least. Krillen hadn't remembered ever smiling that much since before Cell. He had felt so at peace yesterday. Even though 18 gave him a good butt whipping when they sparred, he was manly enough to brush it off, at least until he was in a room by himself. But now she was gone.

He ran his hands through his hair and let out a long deep sigh. Had he ruined his chances with two beautiful women in one day? He hoped to god that he hadn't. He knew now, beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was in love with 18, and that he was lying to himself if he tried to deny it. There was no point in denying it when it was painfully obvious. He realised that now. All along he had known that 18 was the one for him, he'd just been trying to fool himself, but after yesterday, it was like his eyes had been opened and now he knew that he wouldn't be able to spend his life with anyone unless it was her.

Krillen didn't fully understand why he was so attracted to 18. Sure, she was stunningly beautiful, but it was more than that, everything she did, he found fascinating. They way she walked and talked and moved and how she always careful thought about what she said before she said it, a gift Krillen had not been blessed with.

He also admired her bravery. She had been through so much, the full extent of which, Krillen had no idea, yet she carried on, coping the best she could. Krillen wanted to help her. He wanted to show her that despite her experiences, the human race wasn't all that bad. He wanted to show her that people could be tender too.

All his friends thought of her as nothing but a cold hearted monster, an ice queen, but he knew her better than that. He knew she was scared, terrified even, of opening herself up to others because of what they might do to her. She may have been strong physically, but emotionally, she was a cripple, and Krillen wanted nothing more than to help her to become strong once more.

He didn't care if it took 10 million lifetimes, he would do it. But now, he was facing a problem. Finding her. 18 had no Ki, hence making her impossible to track. But he knew it wouldn't be that long until their paths crossed once again, in fact, he had a feeling that their next meeting was less than 12 hours away. He was taking his karate class tonight, and he knew Dai would be there and he knew he would be furious. His first instinct was to hide and avoid the class, but then he realises that it might be his only chance to find 18. And besides, Dai was no match for him, even Hercule was stronger than he was, and that was saying something.

Krillen's train of thought was interrupted then as Master Roshi walked into the living room.

"What's on your mind boy?" he asked

"Nothing, master" Krillen sighed

"Nothing my left foot," Roshi scoffed, "You've been sitting there for hours. What'd she do to you boy?"

"She? What makes you think I'm having lady troubles?"

Roshi looked over his glasses with a raised eye brow,"Krillen, I'm three times your age, give me some credit would you"

Krillen snorted and looked up at his master, a funny lopsided grin on his face "You know me too well Master"

---------------

"Dai!" 18 shouted, chasing him out the front of the house. Her voice was hoarse and sore from all the hours she had been yelling, this situation had really gotten out of control and there was nothing she could do about it. She refused to run, she couldn't lash out and he denied her the right to be silent. "Dai, get back here!" she followed him down the front steps.

Dai stopped and turned around, snarling at her, his yellowed teeth stood out against his reddened face and 18 stopped dead in her tracks, narrowing her eyes dangerously at him.

"If you don't shut up I'm going to shut you up" he snarled

18 knew where he was going, and she knew she had to stop him. Krillen didn't need this. She had to try a different tactic "Dai," she softened her voice considerably, much to her disgust "Please, I'm sorry. I never should have disregarded your wishes" she could feel her stomach churning

"I'm glad you've finally come to your senses. Now if you don't mind, I have to go and pound someone's head in"

18 didn't respond, she was worn out. She felt like all she could do was stand there and watch as Dai got in the car and sped off down the street, leaving a cloud of smoke behind him. She stood there, on the brown lawn until she could no longer hear the low rumble of the car.

She had failed. She hadn't been able to stop Dai from getting to Krillen. Not that he would be able to hurt him. At least not physically. But the things he might say, she didn't even want to begin to comprehend them. She knew he was evil, and he was also mad. Lord only knew what might spew from his mouth.

Suddenly, 18 bolted into action. She wouldn't let Krillen get hurt. She ran down the driveway and out into the street. Her bare feet pounded against the hard road, she could feel the soles of her feet getting ripped open from standing on broken glass and rocks. But she kept on running, she could feel people staring at her, but she didn't stop. She had to get to the community hall. She had to stop Dai. She didn't know why Krillen meant so much to her, but he did. He meant everything to her. He made her feel human.

---------------

Krillen stood with his back to the class, watching them all in the reflection of the mirrored wall. He shouted commands as he took them through a rather complex foot movement. He wasn't expecting many of the men to actually be able to pull it off, and sometimes he had to fight the urge to chuckle and he watched the men stumble and trip in the mirror.

His mind however, wasn't entirely on the job, luckily, martial arts were second nature to him and he didn't need his full brain capacity to teach it. Dai wasn't in the class. He couldn't hide his disappointment and worry. What if he had done something to 18, he knew it was a silly thought, she was literally a superhuman and he doubted someone as dim-witted as Dai would be able to harm her, but then again, he was, by nature a very violent man, and even 18 wasn't bullet proof.

He also knew that Dai was his only remaining link to 18. If he couldn't find him, he wouldn't find 18, and right now finding 18 meant everything to him. He knew now, more than ever how in love with her he was, it was like nothing he had ever felt before. It was a feeling more powerful than he had ever know possible. It made him smile.

"Sensei" he heard someone call him and turned around to face the class. "Yeah?" he asked

"You stopped talking" the man replied.

Krillen felt his face go red, "Oh" he laughed, "I guess I drifted off. Sorry everyone. Now where we're we?" he turned around and began talking again, feeling like a complete and utter dick head.

He wasn't sure how much longer passed, but it wouldn't have been any more than 10 minutes, until the class encountered its second problem for the night. This one however, wasn't as easily solved as a simple apology.

Out of no where, the door to the room slammed open and in stormed a very irate man. Krillen instantly ordered everyone to the far side of the room and tensed himself up. He had never ever seen anyone look as mad as Dai did right now – not even Vegeta, and that guy had some serious anger issues.

"You!" he snarled, as he stampeded toward Krillen, who instinctively moved away, and unfortunately, backed himself right into a corner. Not the most dignified look for someone who was supposed to be a practised martial artist

"Dai," Krillen tried to work his way out of the corner by taking slow small steps, "calm down"

"Calm down!" he boomed, his call echoing through out the room "You've been messing with my woman! I'm going to kill you, you fucking little runt!"

Krillen quickly ducked behind Dai and grabbed his wrist, locking it behind his back. He could put the taller man through all kinds of torture from this position. "I said, calm down. You are in a room full of people"

Dai squirmed and Krillen pulled. Dai screamed and fell to his knees, satisfied, Krillen let go, he would be fine in a few minutes.

Krillen looked across at the rest of his class, "Under the circumstances, I think it's best we call it a night, huh? I'll see you all next week". By the time Dai was able to bring himself to his feet, the class was long gone.

"Didn't want them to see you get your ass kicked huh? That's understandable I guess"

"Hardly," Krillen scoffed, "I just wanted to save you from humiliating yourself with all these false accusations"

Dai's temper flared again, and Krillen took a step back, towards the centre of the room. "False? Don't you false me buddy! How bloody stupid do you think I am?"

"Listen," Krillen sighed, he wasn't scared of Dai, he was a moron, "why don't you do everyone a favour and just leave"

"Not unless I'm taking a piece of you with me." With that, Dai swung his huge fist at Krillen's head, he dodged it with very little effort, but he couldn't help feeling bad, this was not what he had ever wanted to happen. It continued on for several more minutes, until another person entered the room

"Dai! Cut this shit out right now!" 18 was at the end of her rope with him, she wasn't going to take it anymore. Dai stopped everything and turned to look at 18. "What the hell are you doing here!" he demanded.

"Hey!" Krillen yelled, "Don't you speak to her like that!"

"You butt out of it!"

"Dai, get out of here now!" 18 screamed as the absolute top of voice. For once, it appeared that he actually listened, he honestly saw how mad she was, and he didn't look too impressed. Walking over to her, he shoved her shoulder rather forcefully, and she stumbled backward a few steps. Then, muttering a few very choice words to himself, he left the building and went who knows where.

That left two rather confused people standing in the big empty room. They we're quiet for a few minutes while they both mulled over what had just happened.

Krillen looked across at 18. Her feet were bleeding, he noticed. "Oh" he said quietly, "You must be in pain, please, come and sit down" he lead her to the row of chairs against the back wall, and then he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a first aid kit.

"Krillen, I'm fine, you really don't have to do that" 18 protested as Krillen sat down on the floor in front of her and lifted up her leg

"You'll be thanking me when you're feet don't get infected and swollen. This might sting a little," Krillen warned as he dabbed some antiseptic onto a cotton ball, "let me know if I'm hurting you"

18 smiled, no one had ever been this nice to her before. "How did this happen?" Krillen asked as he dabbed at the welts on her feet.

"I ran all the way here, just now"

Krillen looked up at her and smiled, "Why?" he asked

"Because I didn't want Dai to say anything that might upset you"

Krillen blushed and looked away, "Wow" he looked back at her, "Thank you"

They were quite again until Krillen finished tending to 18's feet. "You can't go back there" he finally said to her

"I don't think I have much of a choice" she scoffed.

Krillen smirked and twisted her words, "No you don't, I'm not giving you any other options but to come back to the island with me"

18 opened her mouth to say something, but then Krillen's words registered in her head. "What?"

"18, clearly you are not being treated the way you deserve to be treated with Dai. I'm not just going to sit around and let that happen to someone I care about." He didn't know if he should have said that or not, but it was done now. He packed up his first aid kit and sat on the chair beside her.

18 gazed straight ahead into the big mirror at the other end of the room. She took in her reflection and couldn't stop the long shuddering sigh that escaped her lips. She was pale and thin from not eating enough of the right kinds of food. She was dressed in clothes that she had found at yard sales. She wasn't happy. And here was a man offering her the chance to have what she had always desired. Happiness. Slowly turning her head, her eyes met his and she smiled at him. A warm and genuine smile.

Killen felt his heart soar as he smiled back, "You don't have to worry anymore. I'll look after you"

**---------------**

A/N; Was it ok? I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter, I can guarantee will be nice and sappy. Hopefully it won't be as far away as this one was. Well, thanks for reading, please review and I'll see you all in the next chapter!

-D.B


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer; Don't own it

A/N; Do you believe it? Had you given up faith in me? If you had, don't worry, I had to for a while. Life kind of took over for a bit, but I've always had this sitting on my desktop waiting for the next chapter, and so here it is!

Oh yeah, you may or may not know this, but I am having a baby is just over 7 weeks time! A little girl, to be named Stella! Wish me luck everyone as I take on the challenge of motherhood! I'll let you all know how to goes!

Deadly Beauty

**Serendipity  
Chapter Seven**

For the second morning in a row, 18 woke up to the sound of waves gently breaking against the shore. She sat up in her bed and stretched her arms up towards the high ceiling. It had been so long since she had slept in a real, honest to god bed, and she had forgotten how good it felt, her muscles felt relaxed and she was calmer than she had felt in a long time.

Slowly she took in her surroundings, something she had not had the chance to do yesterday, since she was in such a flurry to leave. The room was only small, but it was cute. It definitely had the feel of the ocean to it. The walls were painted a very pale yellow, and the furniture was all white. She could tell it had all been pre-loved. Much of the furniture was chipped and dented, but it really felt like a home. The window was open and a pale blue curtain gently blew back and forth in the breeze. Slowly, she climbed out the bed and walked toward the window. The view before her was breath taking. As far as she could see was a never ending ocean, and far away, out at the horizon, was the most beautiful sunrise she had ever seen. The sky was exploding with vibrant yellows, oranges and pinks.

Someone began to knock on the door. "Come in" she called, thinking it would only be Krillen. She was right.

"Ah, I see you've found the view. Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Stunning," she replied as she turned away from the window.

Krillen placed a try down on 18's bed; it was filed with all kinds of delicious looking breakfast foods. "I didn't know what you would like" he grinned sheepishly

"You shouldn't have" she replied, her mouth watering at the mere sight of the foods

"I wanted to" he smiled brightly as he looked at her, "Well; you just eat what you want. Afterwards, if you want to shower, you can use my bathroom."

"You sure?" she asked

"Trust me. I would never make anyone even witness the horror of Roshi's bathroom, let alone a lady" 18 had to laugh at his comment.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it" he said and he turned to leave

"Wait!" 18 called after him.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I think you cooked too much. Wanna join me?"

Krillen's eyes lit up, "Yeah" he smiled, then picked up the tray, "Follow me"

A few minutes later they we're sitting out on the beach, "So, you think you could get used to living out here?"  
18 sighed, "Krillen, you know I can't stay here"

"Why not?"

"You know why not"

"No I don't. 18, if you're worrying about Dai, then don't, he's out of your life forever. I'll never let him hurt you again."

"Dai couldn't hurt me Krillen, you know that"

"I didn't mean physically"

18 didn't respond, she knew what Krillen meant and a long sigh escaped her lips at the thought. "You don't understand" she said quietly after a long pause

"I've got all the time in the world for you to explain it to me"

"You don't really want to listen to me"

"18, I want to do anything I can to help you feel better"

She looked up at him; she didn't understand why he was so nice to her, he was the exact opposite of Dai. Humans confused her so much, particularly this human. Krillen was such a puzzle to her, she didn't pretend to understand even for one second why he was so nice to her. No one had ever been this nice to her, not even 17, own flesh and blood

She looked down at her bandaged feet and smiled. She knew that Krillen, being the gentleman that he was, would have helped anyone who needed it, but something about him, he way he had to lovingly tended to her the night before, the way he had insisted she come back with him, the four words he had spoken with nothing but sincerity in his eyes, "I'll look after you". She wasn't sure what it was, but something about him made her heart flutter and she was truly sure she had found a man that was one in a million.

"Thank you" she looked across at him and smiled

"For what?" Krillen asked, "Breakfast?"

18 shook her head and laughed, Krillen loved it when she laughed, it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, it made his whole day worth wild if he could hear her laugh just once.

"For being you. Nobody else could make me feel the way you do, Krillen" she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked out towards the sparkling ocean

"And how exactly, do I make you feel?"

"Good" 18 replied, "You make me feel happy. I can't remember ever being happy before this"

"Well," Krillen smiled, "I'm just happy to help"

18 sighed softly, if only Krillen really knew just how much he had helped

The sand beside her shifted as Krillen stood up, she looked up at him.

"You coming inside?" he asked

"Ok" 18 replied. She smiled as Krillen held out his hand, which she accepted and he helped pull her up. His hand was softer than she had expected it to be, it was warm, and felt nice against her own. She was reluctant to let go, it felt nice, to have him so close to her.

Krillen smiled brightly at 18 as he let go of his grip on her hand, he was well aware of that fact that she had held onto his hand much longer than she had needed to, and now he and to go and hide before she saw how bright red he had gone. Quickly he turned and hurried up the beach, he had almost made it into the safety of the house, when he was stopped

"Krillen!" 18 called after him, "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Uh….nowhere" he called back, without turning around and then hurried into the house. Shaking her head, 18 laughed and followed him up the sand and into the house.

---------------

It was until three days later that Krillen noticed something, and he was quite shocked that he hadn't register in his brain sooner. He spent so much time looking at 18 after all, it surprised him to realise he hadn't picked this up.

"18?" he called her name from across the living room, where she was sitting watching the TV, "is that the only change of clothes you have?"

She craned her neck around and looked over to him, "yeah, why?" she asked

Krillen blinked and went to sit beside her on the couch, "Well, that can't be very pleasant"

18 shrugged, "Eh, I think I can handle dirty clothes, this is a lot more pleasant than what I was doing before, that's for sure" she smiled at him, a real genuine smile

"Well," Krillen stopped and paused to look at her, day after day, without fail, she took his breath away. "First thing in the morning we're going shopping. You're living on a tropical island now, you can't be walking around like it's the middle of winter, you'll melt"

"Melt?" she looked at him with a raised eyebrow

"Yep" he nodded matter of factly, "melt"

"Well that's just too bad. I'll just have to melt. Did you forget that I have no money?"

Krillen put on expression of shock horror, "I'm insulted 18." She looked confused "I can't believe that you would think for one second that I would offer to take you shopping and then expect you to pay. I'm a gentleman you know"

18 shook her head, he was such an idiot. He was just a fun type of person to be around. The exact opposite of Dai. She wondered what he was doing right now. She wondered if she was doing the right thing, just leaving him like that. She knew she had to go back sometime, all of her stuff was there, like Krillen had pointed out, the only things she had with her were the clothes on her back.

"Krillen" her tone quickly become more sombre "I have to go back to Dai's house"

Krillen's face paled, he thought 18 was happy on the island. "W-why?" he stuttered, this had really shocked him.

"My things are there, I'd like to bring them here. That is, if you don't mind me staying here for a while"

"18!" a smile 10 times brighter than ever before appeared on his face and he had to resist the urge to hug her "Of course you can stay here. I'd love for you to move in with us! You'll love it here!"

"I'm sure I will" she replied, quite overwhelmed by how enthusiastic Krillen was.

"This calls for a celebration!" Krillen jumped up off the couch, "I'm going to cook us something special for dinner"

"Really?" 18 looked at him "can you cook?" she continued

"Well," Krillen rubbed the back of his head and blushed a rather bright shade of red, "I can try"

"I'm sure it will be delicious"

"When do you want to go and get your things?" Krillen asked after several minutes of silence.

"Oh," 18 looked across at him "I don't know"

"Well, why not now. We have nothing better to do" Krillen shrugged his shoulders. He was eager for 18 to make her move to the Island a permanent one.

"We?" 18 asked

"Of course. I'm not letting you go over there by yourself"

18 had to smile at Krillen's big heart "I'm a big girl you know, I can take care of myself"

"I know, but I'd like to feel at least a little bit useful!" Krillen cried and 18 laughed.

"Alright then, you can come"

---------------

"This is where you've been living!" Krillen exclaimed as he gazed up at the house, if you could even call it that. It looked like it was going to cave in on its self any minute.

"Yes," 18 replied curtly "and keep it down, Dai might be in there".

The pair made their way up the short driveway and up onto the front steps of the house. 18 produced a key from her pocket and quietly unlocked the door and they stepped inside.

As soon as they entered, they could head a loud snoring. Looking across into the darkened lounge room, Krillen could just make out a figure, which he assumed was Dai, sleeping on the couch

"Follow me" 18 whispered and crept up the hallway, making sure to avoid the sections of floorboards that she knew would creak. Krillen followed close behind her, taking everything in. All the windows where closed and the house was dark, despite it being the middle of the afternoon. Where the sun did happen to trickle in, he could see millions of tiny dust particles floating in the air.

He wanted to reach out and take 18's hand, to let her know that she wasn't alone in all of this, but he knew that that would be the wrong thing to do.

The reached the end of the hall and stepped into the bedroom. Krillen's eyes widened in shock as he took in the room. "18" he muttered, but he didn't know what else to say. It broke his heart to think of her, his perfect angel, living like this.

"Quickly, we have to get out of here before Dai wakes up" 18 spoke as she started to shove her belongings into a bag

"What, before he wakes up and beats us up?" Krillen asked sarcastically.

18's eyes lit up and she laughed out loud, she quickly covered her mouth with her hands and glared at Krillen, who only smirked back at her.

They were quickly become one and others best friends. 18 could never remember feeling more comfortable around anyone, and she knew now that she had made the right decision. This is what she had been longing for, this was the kind of companionship that she saw between people on the streets of Nikki Town, and that she longed to experience herself.

So preoccupied were Krillen and 18 in their doings that they didn't noticed the familiar groan of the couch as a weight shifted off it, nor did the hear the hall squeak as an old floor board was trodden on. In fact, they did not notice Dai's presence in the room until he very forcefully slammed the door.

18 jumped in fright and whirled around to face Dai. This was not part of the plan.

Krillen looked across at 18, his heart felt like it was beating up in this throat. He wasn't scared for his safety, or 18's for the matter, Dai was no match for them. He was worried that 18 would get scared and end up staying here, just to keep that pathetic excuse of a man happy.

"Dai, listen to me" 18 piped up, trying to clam him down before he had a chance to speak, he however, would have none of it

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!" he bellowed, his face was bright red, and that unsightly vein was popping out, "How dare you disrespect me like this, you're a hussy you hear me! A tramp!"

"Hey!" Krillen interrupted, Dai snapped his head to look at the shorter man, he had failed to noticed Krillen up until now, and he was livid, how dare this man come into his home "What the fuck are you doing here?" he hissed, then lunged at Krillen, who took a step backwards and then watched as Dai stumbled and fell over.

"18 quick grab you things and let's get out of here. You don't need to be around these kinds of people"

"Krillen, I-" she trailed off, looking Krillen in the eyes, he knew what was coming next

"No 18, don't, don't stay here"

"I have to, Krillen"

"No," Krillen could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, Dai was getting up again, he had to convince18 to come with him, and he had to do it quickly "You can't stay here 18. I need you"

18 looked at Krillen and blinked "You what?"

"I need you 18, and I think that you need me too"

Dai finally managed to find his feet and he took a few clumsy steps forward, it was clear to everyone that he was drunk, which to 18, was nothing new. She couldn't ever remember seeing him sober, not once. Her gaze moved from Dai, to Krillen and back to Dai again and she knew what decision she had to make.

She turned to look at Krillen, knowing that if she didn't go with him now, it would eat away at her for the rest of her life. "Alright," she smiled softly at him, "Lets go"

---------------

A/N; So there you finally have it! Hope you enjoyed it, and don't worry, this WILL be completed! I actually have two other one shotters in the works as well at the moment, so keep you eyes peeled for that, because DB is finally back in business!

D.B


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer:** I don't own DBZ/GT

**A/N:** I've actually had more than half of this typed up for several months. But it is the last chapter and I really wanted it to be good and I reached a point where I just didn't know what came next. Until tonight, when the words just came to me and I finally got the ending I had been trying to get for ever. I guess something was letting me know it was finally time to out this one to bed.

I hope that you enjoy it.

**Serendipity  
Chapter Eight**

"Have you seen Krillen?" 18 appeared in the doorway to the living room, and eyed Mater Roshi. She had searched the house from top to bottom and he was no where to be found.

Roshi glanced at 18 from the side of his glasses, he was scared of her, but a lifetime of staring at pretty girls had taught him a few sneaky tricks. "He's on the roof. I wouldn't bother him if I were you"

"Why?" 18 asked

"Krillen is a complex boy," Roshi started, "if he's up there, then something's on his mind. He'll come back indoors when he's ready"

"I see," 18 replied, and turned to leave, but she had one last thing to say to Roshi before she left "If I catch you starting at me one more time, I'm going to take your eyes, and rip them out of your head"

The sky was littered with stars, as far as the eye could see, Krillen tipped his head back and gazed up at them. He felt peaceful under the stars. Mater Roshi had told him once, when he was only a boy, that everybody who had ever lived on the Earth had looked up those same stars. He found comfort in that thought. It made him and his problems feel small – and small problems were problems that were easily solved.

All week, Krillen felt like he had been floating on a cloud – 18 was living on the island! It had seemed as though all of his dreams were coming true. And then, one by one, the doubts came. The niggling little thoughts that started in the back of his mind, and then grew in size and number until they consumed his whole brain to the point where he was unable to function like a normal human being.

This was always how it happened, and he had been a fool to think that this time was going to be any different. Self doubt had always been his greatest flaw, and no matter how hard he worked to convinced himself that he was a good person who deserved to live a happy life, everyday his demons tormented him. They were relentless in their attacks, and now that something good finally seemed to be coming his way, he knew something was going to happen to bring him crashing back down, to take him back to the dark, horrible place he was at right after Cell – he was destined to be unhappy, he knew it.

Now that 18 was here, he knew he was doomed. He was head over heels in love with her, it was a love stronger than any he had ever felt before. This wasn't just a mere infatuation, this was so much more, this was full on, all out, complete and utter heart consuming love.

Krillen grimaced at the thought. How the hell was he meant to live in the same house as a goddess like 18, when all he could think about was how much he loved her, and the last thing she wanted was another relationship? What she needed right now was a friend. Someone to support her and be there for her, no strings attached – and Krillen feared that he was not that man.

Burying his head deep in his hands, Krillen groaned. What had he gotten himself into?

"Krillen?"

Krillen jumped at the sound of his name being called, and quickly spun around to see 18 climbing out of the window. She perched herself beside him on the roof and sat quietly, listening to the claming sounds of the ocean.

"Roshi told me to not disturb you, while you we're up here. I hope you don't mind"

Krillen couldn't bring himself too look 18 in the eyes, instead he just shrugged his shoulders, not even attempting to put on his usual happy demeanour "It ok, it's your house too"

Instantly, 18 picked up on the uneasiness in Krillen's voice. He sounded so different, not at all like the happy-go-lucky Krillen she had come to know and love. This was clearly a whole other side of the small human, a darker side that she had never believed he would have.

"Are you ok?" she asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

Krillen took a few long deep breaths before he replied. He didn't know what to say to the beautiful woman beside him. Should he come clean and confess his conundrum to her, or lie and save face. He knew he didn't have time to think. 18 was waiting for him to reply, so he took the easy option, for the millionth time in his life, Krillen took the cowards way out. "I'm fine" he forced a smile onto his weary face, "Just tired"

18 wrinkled her brow. Why was Krillen lying to her? He was a shocking liar, it was painfully obvious that he was not fine, something was troubling him. However, 18 knew better than to push the situation. If it had been the other way around, and she was in his shoes, she would not want Krillen prying into her personal life, and so she would pay him the same respect and leave his business to him.

"It's freezing out here" she stated, changing the subject, "You should head inside before you catch cold"

Slowly, Krillen blinked and noticed that his skin was indeed covered in goosebumps. He had been so consumed in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed the steady decline in the temperature. Nodding his head, Krillen stood up and climbed back in the window, 18 followed his lead and climbed in after him.

For the first time, she noticed her surroundings, she had been so intent on finding Krillen the first time, that she had taken no notice of the room, and it was only now that she actually realised she was standing in Krillen's bedroom.

It was small, perhaps smaller than the guest room where she was now staying. The only furniture Krillen had was a double bed which looked like it was about as old as he was, and a low chest of draws, on top of which sat a number of old photos and nick-knacks.

"Uh…" the sound of Krillen's nervous fidgeting snapped her out of her little trance and she turned to look at him. He was blushing, and 18 suddenly realised that they were alone in his room. What would Roshi think when they emerged?

Sensing Krillen's uneasiness at the situation they were currently in, 18 walked across the small room and quietly slipped out the door. Krillen listened to her make her way down the hall and into her own room, before he collapsed onto the bed and buried his head as deep into the pillow as he possibly could without suffocating himself.

Why did he always have to make such an idiot out of himself? Why did he always have to pick the worst possible course of action, every single time? How come for once in his life, he couldn't just say the right thing, have the right gesture, know exactly what needed to be done. Why did he always screw everything up?

Not only had he just been presented with the perfect opportunity to confront 18 with his feelings, but he had had her alone in his bedroom and he had practically told her to get lost and leave him alone. He couldn't do this. He couldn't love 18 the way he did any more. What she needed right now was a true friend who had nothing more than her best interests at heart, not a man trying to win her over.

Sitting up, Krillen raked his hands back through his hair and sighed. He seriously needed to get a grip on his feelings before he scared 18 away for good. That was the absolute last thing that he wanted. He had to have 18 in his life, of that he was sure, and if that meant that he had to put his own feelings aside and simply be the friend that 18 needed then so be it. For the sake of 18's happiness, Krillen was willing to give up his own. He honestly loved her that much, that his own happiness was a small price to pay for 18 to have hers.

---------------

18 was up early the next morning, even before dawn broke. Stars still hung in the sky, one by one disappearing and giving way to what was sure to be another perfect day on the tropical island. She had hardly slept a wink the night before; her poor mind was overloaded with so many thoughts and emotions.

It had been a week and a half since she had made the decision to make the Kame Island her home, and she still wasn't sure she had made the right choice. A year ago she had sworn to herself that she was going to live her life like a normal human being, unnoticed by everyone while she went about her business, she had been doing that with Dai, and it had all been going well until that one night.

To this day, she still didn't know why Dai had insisted she go with him to the class that night. She assumed he had been bragging about his piece of ass in previous sessions and so had brought her along to boast. That was the sort of guy he was, a complete and utter sleaze, with no values, no morals and no respect for anyone. She had been with him for 7 agonising months and still, she knew very little about him. She knew he was kicked out of home at 16 and had been on the wrong side of the law ever since, he was a drug dealer, 18 wasn't meant to know about that but when she had one day stumbled across several bags of cocaine in the bag seat of the car while unloading groceries, and then they had amazingly vanished the next morning, there was really only one logical conclusion to come too. He was a chronic alcoholic, bourbon being his poison of choice, though he would drink virtually anything with an alcohol content. He truly was a pathetic waste of space, and 18 still wasn't sure that she had made the right decision in leaving him.

She had wanted so badly to be normal. She craved nothing more than to be like everyone else, yet it seemed she was never going to live a life of normality. She had tried her hardest to live with Dai, to do what normal people did, and despite her best efforts, she had failed.

18 sighed and her shoulders slumped. Even here on the Kame Island, she would never life a 'normal' life. There was nothing normal about living on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, with a perverted old man, a talking pig and an ex monk as room mates.

She did like it here though, she would admit that much. Just one look at the bright pink house and you could tell that this was a happy place. Shifting her gaze, she looked up to one of the second story windows, it was wide open and the curtains were flapping about in the gentle morning breeze. It was Krillen's room.

Her mind wandered back to the night before when they had been sitting on the roof. He had seemed different last night, cold and aloof. She wasn't used to seeing that side of him at all. She wondered if it was because of her. Maybe he was having second thoughts about having her on the island. She couldn't say that she blamed him; she wasn't exactly the ideal house mate; nervous, confused and uneasy. She would hardly be an easy person to live with.

Standing up, 18 brushed herself free of sand and headed up the beach towards the house. Inside, Roshi and Oolong were sprawled across the couch, the TV flickering in front of them, even though they were both fast asleep. No doubt they had been up all night watching 'adult material' they really were both disgusting in every way imaginable.

Shaking her head at the pair, she turned and headed for the kitchen.

Krillen was already sitting at the table drinking his morning coffee. There was an awkward silence between the two, neither of them knowing what to say to the other. Inwardly, 18 sighed. It wasn't meant to be like this. Living with Dai may not have made her happy, but this just wasn't normal, even she could see that.

She looked across at Krillen, who lifted his eyes and stared back at her. Instantly, Krillen knew that something was up with the beauty before him. Her eyes, there was something about them that he had never seen before. She looked sad and hurt and guilty.

He opened his mouth to ask her what was on her mind, but she beat him to it. "Krillen" she spoke his name with a softness not even she knew she possessed. "I'm sorry"

Krillen's heart began to race, conversations that started with the word sorry, never ended well, he knew from far too much experience. "No!" he blurted out in his sudden panic. "Don't do this 18"

She looked at him in confusion, how did he know what was going on inside her head. "I want to be normal, Krillen" she said after a few long minutes of quiet contemplation, and then she quietly turned and left.

Krillen sat, startled for a moment, letting the words sink in and register in his brain. By the time he finally understood the impact of 18's words, she had long since left the room. Suddenly, Krillen jumped into action, leaping from his chair and sending his coffee mug crashing to the ground. He bolted from the room and bounded up the stairs to find 18.

This was it, it was do or die time. If he didn't convince her right now to stay, then she was going to leave and he wasn't going to get another chance to win her back.

"18" he didn't wait for her to grant him permission, he just shoved his way through the door and into her room.

"18, stop!" he pleaded with her, "Please. I'll do anything".

"There's nothing you can do Krillen" 18 said sadly as she crammed her belongings into her backpack. She couldn't believe it had come to this. She had, in the matter of one day, gone from being confident and happy in her decision to doing a completely 180˚ and running scared, straight back into the life she had sworn she would never return to.

"Is it me?" Krillen asked, desperate for his beloved to stay, "I'm sorry, if my feelings for you are wrong. I know you probably don't feel the same way about me that I feel about you, but I can work on it. I swear I'll work on it"

"It's not you Krillen, it's me. Remember when I told you all I wanted was to live a normal life, like a normal human being?"

Krillen just nodded his head dumbly, lost for words.

"I don't think I can have that here. I mean, look around, nothing about this place is normal"

"The way you were living with Dai wasn't normal either though!" Krillen blurted out, suddenly finding his voice.

18 blinked, waiting for Krillen to continue speaking, she was interested to hear what he was going to say.

"For crying out loud out loud 18, you were miserable with Dai. It is in no way normal to live your entire life living under someone else's thumb and forgetting about who you are. That's not what life is about."  
"What is it about then?" She asked quietly

"It's about being happy!" Krillen exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. "A normal life is a life where you are happy. That's it."

18 sat herself down on the edge of her bed, Krillen's words sinking deep into her brain. What was she going to do? She didn't really want to leave the island; she did want a normal life; and she did want to make Krillen happy, she really had grown quite fond of the small human since their first chance encounter.

Looking up and across at him, 18 asked, "What do you want me to do, Krillen?"

His shoulders slumped and he shook his head, before he replied with what seemed like the only conceivable answer. "I want to share my whole life with you, and I want this to be where you feel safe and happy. I want you to feel like you're nothing more than one hundred per cent human and perfect in every way. I want you to stay, but more than that, I want you to want to stay"

18 couldn't help the small smile that crept up onto her face. "I want to stay"

Krillen's whole body felt so much lighter hearing 18 speak those words, so much so that he may have lifted right off the ground if he hadn't controlled himself. She wasn't going anywhere. Stepping further into the room, Krillen asked "Is this really over now? Can I stop worrying about you packing up and going?"

"You don't have to worry anymore Krillen. I'm here for good"  
"Well then, how about I help you pack your things away once and for all"

"I'd like that"

As 18 carefully folded her clothes and placed them back in her draws, a thought popped up into her head. A fleeting comment Krillen had made earlier, that had only now registered in her brain. Her brow furrowed as she thought about it, wondering exactly what it was that he meant. Well, she thought, there was only one way to find out.

"Krillen, what did you mean before, when you said that I don't feel the same way about you, as you do about me?"

Krillen stopped dead, and the blood drained from his face. In the heat of the moment, in his complete and utter desperation to keep 18 on the island, he had blurted out the first thought that came into his head.

"I…" he trailed off, not knowing what the right thing to say was.

18 looked at him quizzically, waiting to hear what he had to say for himself.

"I guess…" he said and ran his fingers back through his hair, then in a move that was completely unlike him, he threw caution to the wind and just blurted it out "I'm in love with you 18, I have been since the very first time I laid my eyes on you"

"Hmm" 18 put her thinking face back on as she took in this latest development, she knew that it was her turn to say something now, but she needed some more time to put together a coherent sentence. She was fairly sure that no one had ever been in love with her before. It was a nice feeling, or maybe it was just nice because it was Krillen who loved her.

"I think," she began, "I think that if you give me some time, that I could fall in love with you too."

Krillen swore that he felt his heart skip a beat or two upon hearing those words leave 18's beautiful lips. Never had he imagined that something like this could happen to him, he wasn't good enough for 18. No! He quickly squashed those thoughts before they had a chance to grow into anything more sinister.

"You think?" he asked, still a little, or a lot bewildered by the events of the morning.

18 nodded, "Just give me some time, ok"

Krillen beamed and felt his heat soar. "18, I am going to give you the most boringly normal life you could ever possibly imagine!"

18 laughed, a real genuine laugh that came from her heart, and she knew in that moment that she had made the right decision. She was home and she was happy, and everything was perfectly normal.

_Fin_

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**A/N:** Well, that's the end of that. I really like this story and I hope that you have enjoyed it to. I'm not giving up yet though, I'm still as in love with Krillen and 18 as I have always been, so you can expect plenty more work from me in the future, so keep your eyes peeled.

Thank you to everyone who has ever read or reviewed this. It truly honours and humbles me that people enjoy what I do and I am forever grateful to be surrounded by such kind and amazingly talented people.

Much love, until next time  
Deadly Beauty


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